U.S. becomes first nation to boycott its U.N. human rights review, calling the council 'irredeemable'

U.S. becomes first nation to boycott its U.N. human rights review, calling the council 'irredeemable'.

The United States on Tuesday became the first country to fully refuse the regular review of its human rights record at the U.N. Human Rights Council since the Geneva body was created two decades ago, the Associated Press reported via CBS News. Reuters said the move drew censure.

Under the Universal Periodic Review, all 193 U.N. member states have their records examined roughly every four to five years. The U.S. review was originally set for November 2025 and was pushed back to this week in hopes Washington would change course. It did not, and the council says a review cannot go ahead without the country taking part.

"This irredeemable body makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own 'values' as it pushes anti-American rhetoric," a State Department spokesperson told the AP, adding that "we give no credibility to the agency." The Trump administration pulled the U.S. off the council last year, accusing it of anti-American and anti-Israel bias.

Critics say the boycott weakens a system meant to apply to every nation. Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union said the administration was telling the world it would "continue to violate human rights unabashed," and rights groups have asked the U.N. human rights chief to present an update on the U.S. early next year. Eric Tistounet, the council's first secretary, warned that if "the predominant global power" doesn't show up, "then you are in big trouble."

Supporters of the review point to U.S. deportation policy and strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific as issues the council would have raised; the administration says those policies protect American workers and national security.