Amnesty: Security Council ineffective - UPI.com NEW YORK, May 23 (UPI) -- Amnesty International, in its 50th report on human rights around the world, said the U.N. Security Council has become ineffective. The group contrasted the bravery of protesters with the apparent willingness of some members of the Security Council to shield brutal governments. Russia and China, both veto powers, have blocked resolutions aimed at the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria. "Unfortunately, the Russian and Chinese intransigence is putting the credibility of the Security Council at risk and undermining the Council's core function as a guardian of peace and security," said Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA executive director. The determination of some council members to shield Syria at any cost renders accountability for these crimes elusive, betrays the Syrian people and undermines the struggle for freedom and human rights everywhere. The group said that a U.N. meeting in July to adopt a treaty on the international arms trade will be a "litmus test" of the organization's ability to protect the powerless.