UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The UN General Assembly voted Thursday to remove Russia from the world’s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific violations of the rights of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called war crimes.
This was a rare, if not unprecedented, rebuke against one of the five members of the UN Security Council with a veto.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the vote a “historic moment”, saying at the meeting: “We have collectively sent a strong message that the suffering of victims and survivors will not be ignored” and that Russia must be held accountable for it. an unjust, unscrupulous war. “
Thomas Greenfield has launched a campaign to remove Russia from the UN Human Rights Council following videos and photos showing streets in the city of Bucha littered with civilian bodies after Russian troops withdrew. The death has sparked global outrage and calls for tougher sanctions against Russia, which has categorically denied responsibility for its troops.
Russia is only the second country to be deprived of membership rights. The other, Libya, was suspended by the assembly in 2011 when cataclysms in the North African country toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council is tasked with directing and approving investigations into human rights violations and conducting periodic reviews of the human rights situation in all 193 UN member states.
He has set up commissions of inquiry – which ensure their highest level of control over violations of rights and abuses – for conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, the Palestinian Territories and elsewhere. He has also set up fact-finding missions in places such as Libya, Myanmar and Venezuela.
The vote on the US-initiated resolution to suspend Russia was 93-24 with 58 abstentions, significantly lower than two resolutions passed by the assembly last month calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, the withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection of civilians. Both of these resolutions were approved by at least 140 countries.
Russia’s deputy ambassador, Gennady Kuzmin, said after the vote that Russia had already withdrawn from the council before the assembly could take action, apparently pending the outcome. With the resignation, council spokesman Rolando Gomez said Russia was avoiding being deprived of observer status in the rights body.
Kuzmin said Russia considered the adoption of the resolution an “illegitimate and politically motivated step” by a group of countries with “short-term political and economic interests”, which he accused of “overt and massive human rights violations”.
The 47-member Human Rights Council was set up in 2006 to replace a commission discredited by the bad rights of some members. The new council soon faced similar criticism, including that violators were looking for places to protect themselves and their allies and to focus on Israel.
Along with Russia, four other permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France and the United States, which rejoined this year – are currently serving a three-year term on the Human Rights Council. Other members with widely contested rights include China, Eritrea, Venezuela, Sudan, Cuba and Libya.
While almost half of the 193 UN member states supported the resolution, more than half voted against, abstained or did not vote.
Explaining their decision not to support the resolution, some countries called it premature, noting that ongoing investigations into whether war crimes had been committed or said it would undermine confidence in the Human Rights Council and the United Nations. Others said the resolution reflected US and European geopolitical agendas and what opponents called Western hypocrisy and selective outrage over human rights.
In addition to the Human Rights Council’s investigation, led by former Norwegian judge Eric Moses, who previously served as president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court is investigating possible war crimes in Ukraine.
Ahead of the vote, Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergei Kislytsia, called on members of the assembly to protect the Human Rights Council from “sinking” and suspending Russia, saying it had committed horrific human rights abuses and abuses that would be tantamount to war crimes. and crimes against humanity. “
“Russia’s actions are beyond pallor,” he said. “Russia is not only violating human rights, it is shaking the foundations of international peace and security.
In a document released by Russia and received by the Associated Press, Russia said the United States and other opponents wanted to maintain control of the world and continue the “policy of neocolonial human rights” in international relations.
Kislitsa responded to Russia’s complaints by saying: “We have heard many times the same perverse logic of the aggressor trying to present himself as a victim.”
The General Assembly voted 140 to 5 with 38 abstentions on March 24 in a resolution blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and calling for an immediate ceasefire and protection of millions of civilians and homes, schools and hospitals crucial to their survival. .
The vote was almost the same as for a March 2 resolution passed by the assembly, calling for an immediate ceasefire from Russia, the withdrawal of all its forces and the protection of all civilians. This vote was 141-5 with 35 abstentions.
Both voices were not legally binding, but they did have an impact on global opinion.
However, Thursday’s vote and Russia’s withdrawal have had a direct impact on Moscow’s voice in a human rights body that is increasingly becoming a place of global opposition between Western democracies and autocratic countries. China will lose a key ally there.
China abstained from voting in both assemblies last month, but voted against removing Russia from the Human Rights Council.
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Peltz reported from New York. Associated Press writer Jamie Keaton contributed from Geneva.
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