UN Human Rights council gives Saudi seat despite recent violent crackdowns on foreign workers

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday won a seat at the Human Rights Council, the UN's highest rights monitoring body, Al Arabiya correspondent reported.

The Geneva-based 47-seat council can shine a spotlight of publicity and censure on rights abuses by adopting resolutions and has dozens of special monitors watching problem countries and major issues ranging from executions to drone strikes.

Seats on the council are allotted to regions, and countries from those regions select candidates for those seats. Sometimes the elections are contested and sometimes not.

The General Council has 193 members and Saudi Arabia won 140 votes, Al Arabiya correspondent in Geneva reported.

The Asian group had unopposed candidates for its four seats: China, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.