POIS 1.

46 of the commonwealth countries criminalise same sex relations in all circumstances, this is a breach of the European Union convention on Human Rights of article 14, so how do the commonwealth principles conform to the human right treaties? 2. Pakistan and Bangladesh, with a nod from London and Washington, use the real threat of terrorism to justify abuses such as torture and illegal detention. Kenya deliberately avoids accountability for serious abuses during the post-election violence in 2007. Cameroon, Uganda and the Gambia intimidate human rights defenders and journalists. How is the commonwealth then an effective international organisation when its members are such? 3. The British Commonwealth is committed to world peace, the promotion of democracy, and human rights. So is the United Nations, and most BritishCommonwealth members are also members of the UN. In some ways, the British Commonwealth is duplicating the work of the United Nations. Nations shouldnt need to be members of the British Commonwealth in order to be committed to democracy, human rights and world peace. 4. Commonwealth over recent decades has failed to successfully tackle the north-south divide and the ever-growing gap between rich and poor. 5.