Russia has been suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Amid concerning reports of war crimes being committed in Ukraine by Russian troops, the United Nations members have voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council during a 193-member General Assembly on Thursday.
To suspend the Russian Federation from the 47-member council, a two-thirds majority of UN member countries, excluding abstained votes, was needed.
In favor of the US-led resolution presented by Ukraine’s Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya were a total of 93 UN member countries, whereas 58 countries abstained from voting. A total of 24 countries, including Russia’s strongest allies such as China, voted against the suspension.
“Russia’s actions are beyond the pale. Russia is not only committing human rights violations, it is shaking the underpinnings of international peace and security,” Kyslytsya said as he urged UN members to vote in favor of the resolution.
“[They are committing] horrific human rights violations and abuses that would be equated to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Russia’s suspension from the Human Rights Council comes after horrific reports of human rights abuses by Russian troops in Ukrainian towns and cities such as Bucha and Mariupol.
Despite overwhelming evidence showing that the Russian army has been targeting, killing, assaulting, and even kidnapping Ukrainian civilians, Russia has been actively denying all claims of violence against the people of Ukraine.
“Not a single civilian suffered from any kind of violence,” Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, said of the carnage in Bucha where slain civilians were found on the streets with hands tied behind their backs.
“We’re sorry about that,” Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov told Sky News after Russia’s suspension from the Council. “And we’ll continue to defend our interests using every possible legal means.”
Defending Russia was also China, which voted ‘no’ to the suspension of Russia from the Council, with Ambassador Zhang Jun saying: “We oppose double standards and oppose exerting pressure on other countries in the name of human rights.”
The suspension comes shortly after the meeting of G7 members including the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Britain.
During the summit, the foreign ministers insisted they are “convinced that now is the time to suspend Russian membership of the Human Rights Council.”
“We welcome and support the ongoing work to investigate and gather evidence of these and other potential war crimes and crimes against humanity,” they added.
The G7 council further warned Russia against the use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons in Ukraine and urged Putin to immediately stop the offensive.
“We underline our unwavering support for Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and express our readiness to assist further, including with military equipment and financial means,” the members stated.
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