“Worst Dictators in the World” Speaking at the U.N. Assembly

The opening of the 61st United Nations General Assembly includes men considered some of the "world’s worst dictators."  Of the 20 people listed as the world’s worst dictators in a new book, Tyrants: The World’s 20 Worst Living Dictators by David Wallechinsky, a best-selling author and historian, at least two are in New York this week: the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, and the President of Pakistan, the U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf. In ranking the worst dictators, Wallechinsky says he used four main criteria: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and free and fair elections. "I then give…extra credit for those dictators who use torture, who kill their political opponents, who invade other countries," he says. Wallechinsky calls Omar al-Bashir the worst of the dictators for his role in the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region. "I’ve seen long reports on Darfur without anybody mentioning Omar al-Bashir, the head of Sudan," says Wallechinsky, "as if somehow this tragedy were happening all by itself or without any human making the decisions that these attacks should take place. In reality, al-Bashir is the one who makes these decisions, and he has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people." Of Pervez Musharraf, considered an ally of the United States, Wallechinsky says he’d be "hard pressed to find a democratic reform that Pervez Musharraf has brought into Pakistan since he overthrew an elected government in order to take power."  According to Wallechinsky, in 1999, Musharraf, the top general in the Pakistani Army, took control of the government in a military coup. He appointed himself president, consolidated power between the presidency and the military and has held one election in 2002, where he ruled that anyone running against him had to have a university degree, no bank debts and have paid their utility bills.  He also banned all public rallies in Pakistan. Other nations on Wallechinsky’s list with representation at the U.N. Assembly this week include China, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, whose presidents sent their foreign ministers to speak at the Assembly. Wallechinsky says that the United Nations is not equipped to handle dictators committing human rights violations. "The  United  Nations is great when it deals with health matters and, and cultural matters, but when it comes to human rights, the United Nations is hobbled by its charter, which guarantees a place for the government of every nation in the world, regardless of their political system," says Wallechinsky. "As long as there are dictators in the world, they will always be part of the United Nations." A U.N. spokesman told ABC News, "The United Nations is an organization of all member states, and consequently all members of the 192 member states have the right to speak."