UN General Assembly President Says Homosexuality “Not Acceptable”

The new president of the United Nations General Assembly Ali Abdussalam Treki opened the General Assembly’s 64th session last week with a press conference. When asked for his views about last December’s non-binding Declaration for the Universal Decriminalisation of Homosexuality, Treki said:

“That matter is very sensitive, very touchy. As a Muslim, I am not in favour of it . . . it is not accepted by the majority of countries. My opinion is not in favour of this matter at all. I think it’s not really acceptable by our religion, our tradition.

“It is not acceptable in the majority of the world. And there are some countries that allow that, thinking it is a kind of democracy . . . I think it is not,” he added.

So much for human rights. Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro and and Dario Picciau, co-Presidents of EveryOne group, the international human rights organisation, in response said:

“Ali Abdussalam Treki made a very serious statement which cannot in any way be justified. Like every other Member of the General Assembly, the President has a duty to represent the principles and the aims of the United Nations, according to the Charter adopted on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco with its respect for Human Rights and fundamental freedom for all the human beings (art. 1).

In fact, with such a declaration, the president of the General Assembly has legitimised the violence, the imprisonment and the death penalty for thousands of homosexual people all over the world.

Malini, Pegoraro and Picciau are appealing to the General Secretary and to the Security Council – whose duty it is to solve controversies in the General Assembly regarding the principles of the United Nations – to immediately remove Ali Abdussalam Treki from his role of President for his non-compliance to the aims and principles of the UN.

I couldn’t agree more. If the UN institutions are to mean anything in the post-Rwanda, Bosnia & Iraq eras are to mean anything, they have to be true to their purpose. If the president of the General Assembly is homophobic and prepared to speak out about it, he’s clearly not suitable to hold a post of such stature and influence. More than 50 nations opposed the Declaration, which supports gay people’s human rights, and as Peter Tatchell points out, no human rights convention to this day acknowledges our rights.

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