Argentina voted in favor of the resolution that the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Organization (UN) approved this Friday in Geneva by a large majority to create an investigative commission on human rights violations in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Argentina, which holds the presidency of the organization during 2022, must appoint an Independent International Commission of Investigation made up of three experts to investigate human rights violations in Ukraine,” as was officially reported.
The vote was made by the director of Human Rights of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Cecilia Meirovich.
The resolution was adopted by 32 votes in favor -among them that of Argentina-, 2 against (Russia and Eritrea) and 13 abstentions, and takes place two days after the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York voted for overwhelming majority a text to demand that Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine and end the war.
It is the first time in the Council’s history that a resolution directly concerns Russia, explained a UN spokesman, reproduced by the AFP news agency.
The resolution condemns “the violations and attacks on human rights as a consequence of the aggression of the Russian Federation.” The text calls for “the rapid and verifiable withdrawal of Russian troops, and of the armed groups allied with Russia, from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine”, and calls for the urgent creation, and for one year (initially) of ” an international and independent investigative commission”, the highest level of investigation of the Council.
The investigators will have the mission of “collecting, joining and analyzing the evidence to attest (…) violations” of human rights and international humanitarian law during the invasion of Ukraine, with a view to future processes, as well as identifying those responsible for these violations “so that they answer for their actions”.
The Russian invasion caused much commotion in the world. Demonstrations against the war and gestures of solidarity with the Ukrainians have been multiplied by the bombings and the exodus of nearly 1.2 million people, according to the latest UN figures.
The vote came after a fire at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhia, in southern Ukraine, had the entire world on edge for several hours, although the flames were finally brought under control and there was no radioactive leak. some.
The fire originated from attacks by Russian military forces, which already occupy the place, according to Ukraine. However, the Russian Defense Ministry assured that it was “a provocation” by Ukraine.
Among the 13 abstentions were the representatives of Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Armenia and India.
On February 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine under the justification that the Kiev government had been committing crimes against the inhabitants of two Russian-speaking provinces in the Donbass region, which Moscow had previously recognized as independent states.
The Kremlin’s claim includes the violation by Ukraine of the Minsk Peace Agreements of 2014 and 2015, which forced Kiev to give those two cities -Lugansk and Donetsk, which in separate referendums voted to separate from Ukraine- autonomy and possibilities to choose their own regional authorities.
Ukraine, on the other hand, affirms that with the military operation Russia intends to destroy Ukrainian culture and history, and overthrow President Volodomir Zelensky to promote a leader close to Moscow to come to power.
