United Nations – UN Watch is reporting (http://bit.ly/REu8Ad) that United Nations official Richard Falk – infamous for his anti-Semitic rhetoric, 9/11 conspiracy theories, and ardent support of Hamas – was forced to resign his post as a Human Rights Watch (HRW) board member and Santa Barbara Committee member following a campaign by UN Watch to have Falk ousted.
In an open letter to HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel C. Neuer wrote, “By legitimizing this racist and enemy of human rights, your organization undermines its own founding principles. We urge you to remove him immediately. According to your website, Mr. Falk is a member of Human Rights Watch’s prestigious Santa Barbara Committee, composed of prominent citizens who play a key role in your organization’s global work. We find it astonishing that Mr. Falk would be rewarded by such an eminent position with Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s largest human rights organizations.”
An HRW staffer confirmed that Falk is “no longer” in the position, and that the organization’s website “has now been updated to reflect that fact.” On his blog, Falk addressed his departure, saying, “I was asked to resign, but supposedly because of my connection with the UN, which is contrary to HRW policy. Perhaps, there is more to the issue than what I have been told.”