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Russia suspended from UN Human Rights Council

08.04.2022 06:30
The United Nations General Assembly has suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council amid reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in Ukraine.
The United Nations General Assembly voted 93-24 with 58 abstentions to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, in New York on April 7, 2022.
The United Nations General Assembly voted 93-24 with 58 abstentions to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, in New York on April 7, 2022.Photo: EPA/JASON SZENES

Ninety-three countries voted in favour of the suspension on Thursday, while 24 voted no and 58 abstained, news agencies reported.

A two-thirds majority of voting members in the 193-member General Assembly in New York was needed to suspend Russia from the 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the Reuters news agency reported.

Poland's UN Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski said that "a country that deliberately kills civilians on a massive scale cannot be an active member of the Human Rights Council, the most important body in the UN system, mandated to protect and respect human rights globally."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a tweet: "In the face of the horror in Ukraine, there was no other option."

He added: "But this is not enough. Russia must be held accountable for its monstrous and massive crimes against civilians. We demand the creation of an International Commission for the Investigation of Russian War Crimes in Ukraine."

The Polish foreign ministry welcomed the vote in a tweet, saying the resolution was passed "due to gross and systematic violations committed by Russia during its aggression against Ukraine."

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the UN "sent a clear message that the suffering of victims and survivors will not be ignored."

Thursday's resolution was the third adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

On March 24, the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to demand aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine, amid a humanitarian crisis created by Russia's invasion of the country.

On March 2, the assembly voted to reprimand Russia for invading Poland's eastern neighbour and demanded that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

The Polish prime minister on Thursday said that Russian war crimes in Ukraine were “the darkest chapter in the history of 21st-century Europe” and urged an international inquiry into the atrocities.

(gs)

Source: PAP, Reuters