The United Nations General Assembly has voted today to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.
A draft of the resolution says that the General Assembly may “suspend the rights of the membership in the Human Rights Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights.”
The draft also states that the council has “grave concern” regarding reports of “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” and “violations of international humanitarian law,” which is committed by the Russian Federation during the invasion of Ukraine.
It is important to note that the General Assembly needs to have voted in favor by two-thirds to suspend Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas- Greenfield had launched the campaign to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47th member Human Rights Council in the wake of the videos and photos of streets in the town of Bucha strew with corpses of what appeared to be civilians. The deaths of these civilians had invited a wave of global anger against Russia, and calls for tougher sanctions on Russian have been made.
It is important to note that 93 countries have voted in favor of the suspension, 24 countries have voted against the suspension while 58 abstentions have been made, and even India has abstained.