Countries with worst human rights record according to UN...Syria, Bahrain and FRANCE

 

France has come under fire from the United Nations' human rights commisssioner over its treatment of Roma gipsies.
While criticising countries such as Syria and Bahrain, Navi Pillay also singled out the French for forcibly deporting illegal immigrants from eastern Europe.
They are being forced out of their homes on illegal campsites across France and deported to Romania or Bulgaria.
At the opening of the 21st session of the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Miss Pillay said she was 'concerned about the recent closures of Roma camps in France, which affected hundreds of people, making them more vulnerable'.
The commissioner's assessment is significant because it sets the tone for the body's 47-nation Human Rights Council, whose month-long session opened in Geneva on Monday.
The U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to commemorate Switzerland joining the world body a decade ago, urged the council to focus its attention on five areas, including discrimination, violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and women's rights.
'It is an affront to our conscience that millions of people still struggle against poverty, hunger and disease,' he said.
'These conditions violate their fundamental human rights.'
Addressing the council, Mrs Pillay first described her 'grave concern' over the ongoing conflict in Syria, which she said had devastating consequences for the Syrian people.
Activists say up to 26,000 people have been killed in the country since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime in March last year.
Next on her list was Bahrain for handing down 'harsh' prison sentences to human rights activists and opposition figures.
Mrs Pillay spoke of human rights problems in Colombia, Ivory Coast and Congo, then mentioned France and Greece. She also noted issues in Kenya, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar and many other countries.She told the packed chamber: 'I am also worried by the recent forced closure of Roma camps in France, which have affected hundreds of people, making them even more vulnerable and exposed to a whole range of human rights concerns.
'I acknowledge a number of steps that have been taken by the government but further efforts must be made to address this situation,' she said.
In August, police raids in Paris and other French cities dismantled camps housing Roma from Eastern Europe and left hundreds without shelter. The move echoed a crackdown on Roma two years ago under conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy that drew criticism.
But the French government since then has made it easier for Roma, who mostly originate from Romania and Bulgaria, to get jobs and stay in France by expanding the number of sectors where residents of those nations can seek work. The government also abolished a tax paid by employers to hire people from the two countries.
Mrs Pillay also noted problems in Greece, where there has been a surge in racist attacks against immigrants with dark skin.
'Equally troubling are violent xenophobic attacks against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in recent months, for example, in Greece,' she said.
'I am also concerned about reports that the police appeared to have been unable to respond effectively to protect victims of xenophobic crimes.'
Greece launched a campaign in August to try to seal its 200-kilometer (130-mile) northeastern border in the face of a crippling financial crisis that has caused joblessness to soar.
Diplomats from dozens of countries, including Bahrain, France and Greece, were scheduled to respond to Pillay's criticisms later on Monday.