Government cannot terminate me: Dr Shaheed

Dr Ahmed Shaheed has said that the government cannot terminate him as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for Human Rights. Speaking to Haveeru about the resolution presented to the Parliament by Vilufushi constituency MP Riyaz Rasheed to terminate Dr Shaheed from his position in the UN as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Iran, Shaheed said “the government nor did the Parliament offer me the position” and “I was not offered the position because I hold Maldivian citizenship”.

“The position was offered to me by the UN human rights council, based on my prior services in the area of human rights. I can only be terminated by the council itself,” Shaheed said speaking on the phone to Haveeru from Switzerland.

He said that such a resolution has been presented at the Parliament as “people like Riyaz are unaware of how things work internationally” and “as they cannot digest the criticism of government policies.”

Dr Shaheed also refuted the allegations of corruption made in the resolution by MP Riyaz.

Riyaz stated in the resolution that he had proposed the termination of Dr Shaheed from the UN as he was at the helm of the fraud cases mentioned in the 2010 annual report of the Foreign Ministry.

The resolution stated that the position of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran was a position offered to Maldives and that he must be terminated from the position in order to preserve and protect the reputation and esteem of the country. The resolution also called for an investigation in to the case.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait