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UN rights body begins scrutiny of all member states, beginning with Bahrain

The Associated Press

GENEVA

The Persian Gulf state of Bahrain was the first nation to face scrutiny from the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday under a new process intended to save the global body from persistent accusations of bias.

The 47-member council spent three hours debating Bahrain's rights record, in particular on issues relating to foreign workers, freedom of expression and the equality of women.

The debate is part of a two-week review of the human rights situation in 16 countries. The process _ known as "Universal Periodic Review" _ will be repeated three times a year until all 192 members of the United Nations have been scrutinized, after which it will start over.

The Geneva-based council has faced allegations of bias from all sides since taking over from the discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission almost two years ago.

African and Asian states have pushed for the removal of several of the council's special investigators, arguing they unfairly target developing countries.

The United States, Canada and Israel, meanwhile, have criticized the body's repeated singling out of the Jewish state over its military action against Palestinians and during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

Rights groups say the universal review process, in which states, experts and non-governmental organizations take part, is a chance for the U.N. body to live up to its aim.

"With the Universal Period Review the council has an opportunity to improve on its disappointing start and make itself relevant to people around the world," Juliette de Rivero, Geneva spokeswoman of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement issued by the group on Monday.

All meetings of the council are Web cast on the Internet.

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On the Net:

U.N. Human Rights Council Web cast: http://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc

Independent Web site on the Universal Period Review: http://www.upr-info.org/

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