Director European Centre for Law and Justice: Human rights are instruments of leftist movements

The radical and global left has captured the system of Human Rights. It uses it to implement its "revolution" on countries that refuse to conform to it, Puppinck warned in his speech. He fears that they will attempt to enforce their ideological agenda under the cloak of human rights. "Sadly, it (the system of Human Rights, ed.) became an instrument of ideological domination, rather than protection, on countries such as Hungary and Poland, as well as many others in the South."

Corruption is the main reason why the radical left can do so, Puppinck points out. According to him, private foundations and companies have infiltrated international institutions. One example he mentions is the WHO, which received over a billion dollars from these private foundations. Furthermore, the International Criminal Court receives funding from the Open Society Foundation. That is a private organisation aiming to "work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens."

Thus, these private organisations would get a say in the policies these international institutions enforce. Or, to put it in Puppinck's words: "International institutions have global power, but seek money, whereas large foundations have money, but seek global power."

The intertwinement of private organisations and official international institutions can be problematic, as the interests of both parties can conflict. For example, at least 22 of the 100 European Court of Human Rights judges have formerly been part of leftist NGOs, which also appear before the Court as applicants or third parties. Of these 22 judges, 12 are former employees or board members of Open Society, Puppinck said in his speech. "This demonstrates the grip of George Soros's Open Society over the Court."

The problem becomes even more acute when one discovers that these judges are allowed to rule on cases in which their former NGO is the applicant.

Ethically shaky situations

The problem occurs not only in the European Court but also within the United Nations. Former executives of leftist foundations and NGOs are now active as special rapporteurs of the UN. That leads to ethically shaky situations.

Puppinck gives an example: "The Open Society Foundations have given $100,000 in 2017 to a radical feminist group in New Jersey, with the explicit purpose of, I quote ", influencing a UN Special Rapporteur" for him to write a specific report. And so he did. The following year, Ms Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the head of the Open Society Women Program who gave the money, became herself a Special Rapporteur. Meanwhile, the lobbying director of the feminist group that received the money, Mrs Melissa Upreti, also became a UN expert herself. Today, Mrs Upreti is both the chair of the Women's Rights UN working group and a private lobbyist aiming to influence the UN on Women's Rights and abortion. Once again, this is a blatant conflict of interest."

Intellectual corruption

Corruption does not only take place at a financial level, Puppinck argues. In addition, there is also intellectual corruption. Leftist activists who become politically active take their ideas with them and use their political power to enforce them.

One example of intellectual corruption is the WHO abortion agenda. Puppinck's research showed that legislators who were also active in the abortion lobby groups, such as the Centre for Reproductive Rights, have drafted the plan. "Those guidelines are published as official WHO documents, yet it has not been approved by any state, but only by a committee of so-called "independent experts" that is full of activists."

In short, Puppinck warned that mandates and Human Rights have fallen into the hands of leftist activists. "We shall not submit to those ideologists", he concluded. "We must denounce it and break free from it."