Forbes by Derek Saul 4/7/2022
The United Nations voted Thursday to remove Russia from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council in an historic move condemning Russia following mounting allegations of war crimes in Ukraine, including the alleged massacring of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians by retreating Russian forces in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb.
KEY FACTS
The U.N. General Assembly voted 93-24 to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member council, surpassing the needed two-thirds majority for Russia’s removal.
Another 58 countries abstained from the vote, including Brazil, India and Mexico.
The Group of Seven, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, called for Russia’s suspension from the council in a joint statement Thursday morning, citing the “list of atrocities and severe violations of international law” committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including in Bucha.
KEY BACKGROUND
Formed in 2006, the Human Rights Council has only previously removed one country from the group, when the U.N. General Assembly unanimously voted to suspend Libya from the council in 2011 following allegations of mass human rights violations. Russia began its three-year term on the council in 2021. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., called for Russia’s suspension from the Human Rights Council on Monday, saying Russia’s participation on the council is a “farce” in light of the reported atrocities at Bucha. Members of the Human Rights Council are responsible for identifying human rights violations globally and making recommendations on abuses, but the council has faced significant criticism for including accused human rights abusers such as China and Venezuela among its ranks.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
In an appeal to the General Assembly ahead of the vote, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., said a vote in favor of the suspension would “save the Human Rights Council and many lives around the world.” A vote against Russia’s removal “means pulling a trigger, and it means a red dot on the screen, red as the blood of the innocent lives lost,” said Kyslytsya.
More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/04/07/russia-suspended-from-un-human-rights-council/?sh=710f334a7496
