UN assembly suspends Russia from human rights body

The UN General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the world organisation’s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes.

The vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions, significantly lower than the vote on two resolutions the assembly adopted last month demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

Russia is the second country to have its membership rights stripped at the Human Rights Council which was established in 2006. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield launched the campaign to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council in the wake of videos and photos of streets in the town of Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians after Russian soldiers retreated. The deaths have sparked global revulsion and calls for tougher sanctions on Russia, which has vehemently denied its troops were responsible.

Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador urged members of the United Nations on Thursday to suspend Russia from the world organization’s leading human rights body, saying it has committed “horrific human rights violations and abuses that would be equated to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

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Sergiy Kyslytsya introduced the U.S.-initiated resolution before the 193 members of the General Assembly vote.

“Russia’s actions are beyond the pale,” he said. “Russia is not only committing human rights violations, it is shaking the underpinnings of international peace and security.”

Russia’s deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin urged members to vote “no.”

“What we’re seeing today is an attempt by the United States to maintain its dominant position and total control,” he said. “We reject the untruthful allegations against us, based on staged events and widely circulated fakes.”

Approval would require a two-thirds majority of the assembly members that vote “yes” or “no,” with abstentions not counting in the calculation.

Kyslytsya responded to Russia’s complaints about the proceeding saying: “We have heard, many times, the same perverted logic of the aggressor trying to present itself as the victim.”

(AP NEWS)