UN temporarily suspends Russia from Human Rights Council

UN temporarily suspends Russia from Human Rights Council. 

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution suspending Russia’s participation in the Human Rights Council.

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly approved a US-led resolution suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the international organization’s top human rights body. 

Ninety-three countries favored the resolution, 58 abstained (including India), and 24 countries voted against it.

Suspension of Russia from the 47-member UN Human Rights Council needed a two-thirds majority of voting members.

MORE: Two Pakistani men arrested in the United States Claimed ISI members.

According to Reuters, the UN General Assembly draught resolution voiced “grave concern” over the ongoing human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine.

Ukraine reacted to Russia’s suspension by saying that “war criminals” have no place in UN committees and that it is “grateful.” 

“Russia’s participation privileges in the UN Human Rights Council have just been terminated,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on Twitter.

War criminals have no place in UN entities tasked with preserving human rights. I am grateful to all UNGA members who voted in favor of the relevant resolution and stood on the right side of history.

“India has abstained on the resolution on the suspension of the Russian Federation from the Human Rights Council approved in the General Assembly today,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti stated. We do so for both substantive and procedural reasons.”

“India has stood for peace, negotiation, and diplomacy since the Ukrainian crisis. We think that no solution can be found via the flow of blood and the deaths of innocent people. So if India has picked a position, it is one of peace and an end to bloodshed as soon as possible,” he added.

India also demanded an impartial investigation into the Bucha massacre. Russian forces are accused of murdering civilians while fleeing from villages near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. 

“Civilians have been killed in Bucha, according to recent reports. We have categorically denounced these assassinations and back the need for an impartial probe,” according to ANI, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations remarked.

Since January this year, India has abstained from procedural votes and draught resolutions in the UN Security Council condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.