Moscow described the move as an “unfriendly gesture” and said there would be consequences for bilateral ties, according to a Reuters note. The UN General Assembly voted 93 to 24 in favor of suspending Russia’s membership of the human rights body, with 58 abstentions. Because Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and cannot be deleted, its suspension by the UNHRC is seen as an important way for the UN to show its disapproval of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Liz Truss described Russia as a “global outcast” following a vote by the UNHRC to suspend the country. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said he was “grateful to all the Member States” for supporting the vote and “choosing the right side of the story”. In a draft text issued before the vote, Moscow was accused of creating a “humanitarian crisis” in Ukraine. There has been disgust in recent days following the appearance of images of civilian corpses on the streets of Bucha in the Kiev province. The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Russia should be warned not to continue to act with “such impunity” and said it was “pretending” to respect human rights. Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for killing hundreds of civilians in Bukhara, but Moscow has denied responsibility. Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said earlier this week that while Buha was under Russian control, “not a single civilian has been subjected to any form of violence.” Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions denouncing Moscow, with 141 and 140 votes in favor, respectively. The government of Vladimir Putin claims that it is carrying out a “special operation” to demilitarize Ukraine. Image: Ukrainian soldiers stand next to the grave of a civilian allegedly killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha What is the UNHRC and what does it mean for Russia? Until Russia was suspended, the Geneva-based council had 47 members. Russia is in the second year of its three-year term. The UNHRC, established in 2006, can not take legally binding decisions. It can, however, authorize investigations and send strong political messages. An investigation into allegations of human rights abuses, including possible war crimes, began in Ukraine last month since Russia launched its offensive. Russia’s suspension is more than a loss of prestige. It’s a message that two-thirds of the members of the United Nations General Assembly believe that it is not appropriate to belong to an international human rights organization.
