Chilean President Michelle Bachelet called for greater efforts by the UN Human Rights Council when she appeared before it in Geneva Monday, according to dpa. She defended its independent experts or rapporteurs who investigate and report back to the council on a country or issues whose roles has been challenged. She also called for swift agreement on the universal periodic review, under which the human rights records of all members states would be scrutinised. Bachelet recalled the role the UN had played during Chile's darkest hours under the Pinochet dictatorship and, in particular, the support from 1979 of the special rapporteur for Chile. "Never again will Chile suffer such atrocities," she said. "The work of the special rapporteurs is essential," she added. Where abuse and brutality were still a fact of life, institutions could make a difference.
