The United Nations General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council on Thursday – with 93 votes in favour, 24 votes against and 58 abstentions.
Before the vote, Ukraine urged members of the United Nations to kick Russia out of the leading human rights body. Ukraine’s UN ambassador said Russia had committed “horrific human rights violations and abuses that would be equated to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The resolution, adopted by the General Assembly, expressed “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsa introduced the US-initiated resolution before the 193 members of the General Assembly. “Russia’s actions are beyond the pale,” he said. “Russia is not only committing human rights violations, it is shaking the underpinnings of international peace and security”.
Russia’s deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin urged members to vote “no” and called the resolution “an attempt by the United States to maintain its dominant position and take control”.
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield led calls for Russia to be removed from the 47-member human rights council in the wake of the atrocities in Bucha.
She had said on Monday: “We believe that members of the Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine, and we believe that Russia needs to be held accountable. Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce.”
More to follow..
