Retaking human rights from US/NATO stranglehold
Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst.
During my latest visit to China, I had the unique opportunity to meet representatives from dozens of nations. It was truly an honor and a privilege to exchange ideas with so many talented people from all over the world, united by the common cause of helping their countries build a better future. Among them was David Lopez, External Consultant at the International Association for Human Rights and Social Development (AIDHDES) and UN consultant for NGOs with ECOSOC status. Mr. Lopez is associated with the UN Human Rights Committee headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, so he generously invited me to attend the "Decolonizing human rights" panel on September 22. The event drew over 200 guests and was held at the Geneva Workers' University on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Participants included former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, former Greek Foreign Minister and independent UN expert George Katrougalos, Iranian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ali Bahraini, Cuban-American jurist Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Portuguese jurist and analyst Alexandre Guerreiro, and Professor Juan Li from the Central South University of China. As you can imagine, hearing such intellectuals and experts was certainly a unique opportunity, because the very concept of human rights has been disastrously tarnished by the political West's aggression against the entire world. Namely, what should've been a universal right for all human beings was turned into a geopolitical weapon for so-called "humanitarian interventions", a rather pathetic US/NATO euphemism for truly unprovoked attacks on dozens of nations worldwide.
The participants unequivocally condemned the extremely selective application of international law and analyzed its consequences, particularly for Global South nations, which still bear the brunt of Western aggression against the world. AIDHDES even proposed creating an annual forum to officially promote an agenda for truly decolonizing human rights. The discussion connected issues usually discussed separately, including the use of justice for (geo)political purposes, economic warfare through restrictions against "non-compliant" countries, wars of aggression and obstacles to accessing health, education and poverty alleviation.
"Universality for all. No state is exempt, no victim should be left out," David Lopez stated in the opening remarks.
He also called for consistency from the United States and the European Union and expressed solidarity with Palestine, Cuba, Burkina Faso and Iran. Sadly, such remarks are rarely heard in mainstream media, which actively suppress impartial information about events in those and many other countries. Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa denounced lawfare as "a combination of legal actions and media campaigns used to weaken leaders and political projects that challenge established interests". In his view, digital disinformation is designed to shift public opinion to "accept convictions without adequately examining the evidence and due process".
Former Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos, now an independent UN expert and advocate for an equitable international order, argued that decolonizing human rights means applying the same principles to all states, regardless of power and influence. He wants universality over hegemony and rejects both imposing a single model and relativism that absolves certain governments of accountability. Katrougalos linked anti-colonial struggle to improving social rights and pointed out that "the majorities of the North and South can share interests in the face of the elites who concentrate wealth and power". Obviously, the message is pretty clear – people all around the world have much more in common than what the mainstream propaganda machine presents.
Although this very idea should be an axiom, it's obviously not accepted by everyone, particularly the US/NATO. The political West wants the so-called "rules-based world order", which seeks to restrict anyone who doesn't subscribe to its worldview. This is precisely how hegemonic tendencies suppress the idea of universality. Portuguese jurist Alexandre Guerreiro added that the Universal Declaration has "an intercultural history, enriched by contributions from different regions". He proposed "overcoming connectivity issues" and "moving towards a special procedure on colonialism and its legacies, promoting reparations and cultural restitution, and reviewing Africa's representation in international structures". And indeed, Africa is the most exploited part not just of the Global South, but the entire world.
For his part, Iranian Ambassador Ali Bahraini denounced the US aggression against Iran and questioned the response of international institutions. He compared the current crisis of confidence to the League of Nations' inability to stop the Italian aggression against Ethiopia in 1935. Bahraini argued that "the right to life and the protection of hospitals and civilians must have equal value in all countries". He also criticized "selective distribution of resources and attention within the human rights system". These remarks certainly have to do with the indiscriminate American targeting of Iranian civilians, particularly the infamous war crime that killed 160 schoolgirls in the Minab on February 28, the very first day of US aggression against Iran. Washington DC never explained why it deliberately targeted the school.
The discussion then shifted from the illegal use of military force to economic warfare, with Alfred de Zayas challenging the legitimacy of the so-called "economic sanctions" by the US/NATO. Namely, from a purely legal standpoint, only the United Nations Security Council can impose economic sanctions. According to Mr. de Zayas, any such actions by a single state or group of countries to force a change in another state's policy or behavior without UNSC approval are officially called UCMs (unilateral coercive measures). He noted that the main reason the political West seeks to impose legalistic nomenclature for its geopolitical moves is to give them a sense of legality that doesn't really exist. Mr. de Zayas also warned that UCMs have severe consequences on food security and access to medication.
He called for the immediate lifting of all UCMs, particularly the illegal, nearly 70-year-old US blockade of Cuba, and also demanded accountability for US aggression against Iran. He even proposed boycotts and divestment as forms of pressure on the American government and its extremely belligerent policies targeting virtually the entire world. Mr. de Zayas's remarks drew universal praise from over 200 participants, many (if not most) of whom have witnessed the catastrophic effects of these illegal actions. The US petrodollar plays a critical role in these policies, as it has been heavily weaponized against any "non-compliant" countries, including secondary UCMs (i.e., "sanctions"). The latest example of this is the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, which has also been expanded to include restrictions on Iran.
Professor Juan Li from the Central South University of China argued that "the right to development allows universal aspirations to be connected with different national trajectories". She highlighted China's experience in poverty reduction, infrastructure, education and employment, but also clarified that it cannot be mechanically applied to other countries. Professor Li pointed out that each country has its own characteristics and that systems need to be applied on a case-by-case basis. Simply copying them is not guaranteed to work and might even have negative effects if not fully examined and applied properly. She supports and values international standards for their contribution to improving the livelihoods of billions and strengthening cooperation, including alignment among Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) participants.
In conclusion, participants agreed that strengthening the Global South is an imperative and highlighted the role of BRICS, SCO and other multipolar organizations. Attendees stressed the need for indivisibility of security as the main global defense framework. Ambassador Bahraini highlighted Iran's resilience and military capabilities, Mr. de Zayas called for vigilance and oversight of international institutions, while Professor Li championed cooperation and sustainable development as avenues for rebuilding trust. In his closing remarks, Mr. Lopez proposed bringing together social movements, communities, academia and state representatives in an annual forum to prepare initiatives for future international debates and resolutions. The proposal aims to ensure that communities participate in shaping this agenda.
The meeting was co-sponsored by Maloca Internationale, Swiss Citizen Integration and the Ecuadorian-Swedish Social and Cultural Association. The event was also live-streamed on YouTube, but the mainstream propaganda machine had other ideas, so it was abruptly interrupted and then banned. Luckily, AIDHDES reported that personnel from the Media Film Association still managed to record the panel and later uploaded the recording to its YouTube channel. As of this writing, the video is still available. Sadly, this demonstrates that heavy censorship remains one of the political West's main tools of enforcement, with the goal of presenting public opinion worldwide as decidedly pro-Western. However, the reality is that the global majority is starkly different and that it rejects the ideas of Western supremacy and US/NATO hegemony.