"The U.N. Human Rights Council this week will appoint an official whose job is to examine Western sanctions, viewed as constituting human rights violations against the targeted countries.
The newly-created post, established by a resolution introduced by Iran, will go to a veteran Algerian diplomat [Idriss Jazairy] who in his application expressed concern about U.S. and European sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis . . .
The new mandate was created in an HRC resolution last fall that was introduced by Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement . . . The 31 votes in favor came from African, Asian and Latin American members including Cuba, China, Pakistan Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Vietnam. The 14 opposing votes came from the U.S., European democracies, South Korea and Japan . . .
Jazairy raised eyebrows when during preparations for a controversial anti-racism conference he played down concerns that it may be used as a platform for anti-semitism by saying, "Anti-semitism targets Arabs who are also Semites – and by extension, the whole Muslim community."
In 2010 Jazairy accused Israel of international piracy after an Israeli commando raid on a Turkish ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza in May 2010.
Later that year, the Algerian diplomat praised the Libyan regime for its efforts "to promote human rights." Three months later Muammar Gaddafi harshly suppressed protests against his 41-year rule, and within another six months the regime had fallen."