New U.N. Rights Council Members Are Elected The United Nations General Assembly elected China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Cuba and nine others on Tuesday to fill 14 seats for three-year terms on the 47-member Human Rights Council, the body that evaluates and investigates the rights records of United Nations member states. Western rights groups were particularly offended that China, Russia and Saudi Arabia won seats even though those countries have refused to allow the council's investigators to examine complaints of abuse. The council, based in Geneva, has often been accused of hypocrisy and double standards, depending on the countries targeted for investigation. The other nations chosen on Tuesday were Algeria, Britain, France, the Maldives, Macedonia, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.