The General Assembly of the United Nations voted this Thursday in favor of suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council, based in Geneva. The vote comes in the wake of allegations of “serious and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” by Russian troops in Ukraine.
In total, 93 countries voted in favor of the motion, led by the United States, while 24 have voted against it and 58 have abstained.
In the text, the General Assembly, of 193 members, expresses its “serious concern about the current humanitarian and human rights crisis in Ukraine”, in particular about the allegations of abuses of those rights by Russia.
This is the second time in history that a nation has been suspended from the Council. The first was in 2011, when Libya was suspended due to reprisals ordered by Muammar el-Qaddafi against anti-government protesters.
“Russia’s actions are beyond limits,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya said before the vote. “Russia is not only committing human rights violations, but is shaking the foundations of international peace and security.”
For his part, Russia’s deputy ambassador, Gennady Kuzmin, asked members to vote “no.” “What we are seeing today is an attempt by the United States to maintain its dominant position and full control,” he said. “We reject the false accusations against us, based on staged events and widely spread forgeries.”
