Venezuela, SKorea, Afghanistan lose vote for UN rights body

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, South Korea and Afghanistan have lost contested races for seats on the U.N.’s leading human rights body. The result of the secret-ballot vote Tuesday by the General Assembly was criticized for electing countries like Vietnam and Sudan, which have been accused of having abysmal human rights records. The 193-member assembly voted to fill 14 seats on the 47-member Human Rights Council. The most hotly watched race was in the Latin America and Caribbean regional group, where Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela were vying for two seats. The result saw Chile get 144 votes, Costa Rica 134 and Venezuela 88.