From human rights hero to a willing pawn, in just a days’ time.
A renowned human rights advocate abandons principles when it mattered most.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has built a reputation as a human rights advocate and a fighter for equality. Over the course of a storied career, Robinson has been heralded as a fierce fighter for the underrepresented.
After her time in office, both in Ireland and with the UN, Robinson continued to rub shoulders with world elites. In 2007, she began her work with The Elders, an organization founded by Nelson Mandela and working towards peace and human rights. In 2009, she received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mary Robinson
“The fight for human rights is about speaking truth to power.”
Most recently though, Robinson appeared in Dubai, sitting beside Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikha Latifa has been held by her father, since last publicly seen in March 2018, under absolute silence by his authoritarian rule. This series of staged photos has therefore understandably carried the headlines over the past three months. Robinson had agreed to this meeting with Sheikha Latifa after discussions with Robinson’s friend, Princess Haya, the current wife of Latifa’s father, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum.
Robinson has faced considerable backlash over her participation in this whitewashing ever since.