UN council rejects Eritrea's bid to end human rights probe

GENEVA, July 4 - The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday rejected a bid by Eritrea to end the mandate of a U.N. expert investigating abuses in the country.

The motion brought by Eritrea represented a rare attempt by a country subject to an investigative mandate to terminate it, catching Western diplomats off guard and raising fears among them that it could set a precedent for other states looking to escape scrutiny.