Using the data provided by the Human Rights Watch Votes Count website, we took a look at how Latin American and a few other countries on the United Nations Human Rights Council voted on issues relating to Syria. We looked at the period from 2012 to 2015 in which there were 16 resolutions related to Syria including a call for a referral of the Syrian government to the International Criminal Court, expression of concern over deterioration of human rights, and a statement condemning attacks against civilians in Al-Qusayr.
There was a clear division among the countries that most often refused to vote in favor of human rights in Syria and those that consistently supported pro-human rights resolutions. China, Russia, India, and South Africa, and—in the hemisphere—Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador were the least likely to support a vote to “interfere” in the Syrian bloodbath. China, Cuba, Russia, and Venezuela voted against every resolution that came before the Council during their time there.
Among the BRICS countries, Brazil was the most supportive of human rights resolutions relating to Syria—but given the BRICS’ collective voting record that isn’t saying much.
In its time on the Council, Argentina voted for all the human rights resolutions. But even with Argentina and Costa Rica’s stalwart support for human rights in Syria, the region ranked third in world in standing up for the rights for Syrian civilians, below the Middle East and Europe.
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