China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba have won seats on the UN Human Rights Council despite fierce international criticism of their records.
The UN General Assembly elected 14 seats on the 47-member council, which is taking on increased diplomatic importance because of Syria's civil war and other conflicts.
The council elected on Tuesday starts work on January 1 and will be one of the most polarised since it was created in 2006.
France and Britain returned to the Geneva-based body. South Africa, Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Namibia, Maldives, Macedonia and Mexico also secured three-year terms.
"With the return of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba, human rights defenders will have their work cut out for them at the Human Rights Council next year," said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
"States truly committed to advancing human rights will need to redouble their efforts on key issues, such as accountability in Sri Lanka, grave abuses in Central African Republic and the ongoing crisis in Syria."
Most of the seats were decided in advance as regional groups put forward the exact number of candidates for the seats allocated to their region.
The Asia-Pacific region was one of the most closely watched because of China's influence.
The Asian superpower was beaten by Vietnam, which secured 184 votes against 176 for China, 164 for Maldives and 140 for Saudi Arabia.
Rights groups such as HRW and UN Watch strongly condemned the presence of countries such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba.
Algeria, China, and Russia each have 10 or more unfulfilled requests for visits by UN rights investigators, according to HRW. Saudi Arabia and Vietnam each have seven outstanding requests.
Macedonia got more votes than Russia - 177 to 176 - in the contest for two East European seats, but Russian authorities maintained their defiant stance against critics.
Gennady Gatilov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said the UN election was a "good result".
"We will work in order to strengthen cooperation and dialogue and create constructive working atmosphere in the council," he said.
Western nations avoided any controversy over the records of others, but signalled they would press the case for action over Syria.
"We will continue our action so that Human Rights Council gets involved in current international crises, notably in Syria, in Central African Republic or eastern Democratic Republic of Congo," said France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud.
Russia, with China, has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.
Richard Gowan, a director of New York University's Center for International Cooperation, says Russia, China, Cuba and Vietnam could use their seats on the Human Rights Council to oppose further resolutions attacking Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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