The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced on Monday June 13 in Geneva that she would not run for a second term.

"As my term as high commissioner comes to an end, this 50th session of the Council will be the last I will speak at," the 70-year-old former president of Chile told the Human Rights Council. United Nations Man.

Michelle Bachelet gave no other indication to the delegates present in the Council room on the reasons for her choice.

The secret about his intentions had until then been well kept.

Many diplomats met by AFP in recent weeks admitted not knowing the intentions of the High Commissioner.

Criticized for its laxity towards China 

A victim of torture under Augusto Pinochet's regime, Michelle Bachelet was Chile's first female president.

She was appointed High Commissioner by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in 2018. Her term ends at the end of August.

It has been the subject of severe and repeated criticism in recent months, particularly from the United States, but also from major human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

They criticized him for what they perceive as too lax an attitude towards China's human rights violations.

With AFP

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