U.N. elects corrupt homophobic Ugandan Foreign Minister Kutesa as next General Assembly President

On June 11, 2014 the UN Assembly elected by acclamation Ugandan foreign minister Sam Kutesa its president for the 2014-2015 session. His term will officially start in September 2014.

The mission of the UN General Assembly includes "promoting international co-operation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion."

Kutesa stands for the opposite. Not only does he have close professional and personal ties to Uganda's brutal 28-year dictator Yoweri Museveni, but he is directly linked to numerous corruption scandals. Kutesa, Museveni's "top advisor and spokesperson," is reputed to be one of "the most corrupt Ugandan politicians". He has so far survived trial and conviction due to his close personal ties with Museveni.

Moreover in February, Uganda passed a new law which "authorises life imprisonment for 'repeat homosexuals' – couples in a committed relationship; seven-year sentences for anyone helping gay people to 'avoid detection' and five years in prison for 'promotion of homosexuality.'" As Uganda's foreign affairs chief, Kutesa was responsible for defending the law in the face of widespread international condemnation. His words: "the majority of Africans abhor this practice".

On June 11, 2014 the UN Assembly also elected as one of its Vice-President the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is how the DRC has been "assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms": according to the latest State Department report "The three most important human rights problems were: armed conflict in the East that exacerbated an already precarious human rights situation, particularly with regard to sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV); lack of an independent and effective judiciary; and impunity throughout the country for many serious abuses, including unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, rapes, and arbitrary arrests and detention... [R]ape was common throughout the country... Domestic violence was common throughout the country ...Many churches conducted exorcisms of children accused of witchcraft, which involved isolation, beating and whipping, starvation, and forced ingestion of purgatives..."

In addition, Cuba was chosen by drawing of lots to occupy the first seat in the first row of the General Assembly Hall in 2014-2015 session, starting September 2014. (The remainder of countries follow in alphabetical order after "C-U-B-A".) The number one spot for a non-democracy makes sense - at the UN.