Author of the article: Date of publication: 7 Apr 2022 • 21 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 109 Comments Sergiy Kyslytsya, Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, talks with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations, at an extraordinary special session of the UN General Assembly The Russian Invasion of Ukraine, at UN Headquarters in New York, April 7, 2022. Photo by REUTERS / Andrew Kelly
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UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over reports of “gross and systematic human rights abuses” by Russian troops invading Ukraine.
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The US-led pressure garnered 93 votes in favor, while 24 countries voted no and 58 abstained. A two-thirds majority in New York’s 193-member General Assembly – abstentions do not count – was needed to suspend Russia from the 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council. Suspensions are rare. Libya was suspended in 2011 over violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi. While countries such as Syria, Iran and North Korea have backed Russia as expected, many nations – including Brazil, India and Mexico – have said they want to see the results of an independent inquiry into apparent atrocities completed before a decision can be made. accession of Russia.
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Following abstentions in the previous two General Assembly votes, China’s partner Russia opposed the resolution on Thursday. “Such a hasty move in the General Assembly, forcing countries to choose sides, will exacerbate divisions between member states, intensify confrontation between stakeholders – it is like adding fuel to the fire,” the ambassador said. China at the UN Zhang Jun. the vote. It was the third resolution passed by the 193-member General Assembly since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24. The two previous General Assembly resolutions that denounced Russia were approved by 141 to 140 votes in favor. The resolution adopted on Thursday expresses “grave concern over the ongoing human rights crisis and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”, particularly over reports of human rights violations by Russia. Russia says it is conducting a “special military operation” aimed at destroying Ukraine’s military infrastructure and denies attacking civilians. Ukraine and its allies say Moscow invaded without provocation. Russia has warned countries that a yes or no abstention would be seen as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral relations, according to a Reuters note.
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“PULLING A SCANDAL” Russia is in the second year of its three-year term on the Geneva-based council, which is unable to take legally binding decisions. However, its decisions send important political messages and can authorize investigations. Moscow is one of the council’s most vocal members, and its suspension bans speech and voting, officials say, although its diplomats could still attend the talks. “They would probably still try to influence the Council through proxies,” said a Geneva-based diplomat. Last month the council launched an investigation into allegations of human rights abuses, including possible war crimes, in Ukraine following the Russian attack. Ukraine’s envoy to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said the vote would be a turning point for the world body, which he has criticized for not doing enough to stop the Russian invasion.
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Voting for Moscow’s suspension “is not a choice, it is a duty,” Kyslytsya said. He added that voting “no” means “pressing a trigger and means a red dot” on the voting screen. “Red as the blood of innocent lives lost.” The United States has said it will ask Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine after Ukraine accused Russia of killing hundreds of civilians in the northern city of Bucharest. Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Gennady Kuzmin, has said the time is not right for “theatrical performances” and accused Western countries and allies of trying to “destroy the existing architecture of human rights”. “We reject the allegations against us based on fabricated facts and widespread falsehoods,” Kuzmin told the General Assembly before the vote, defending Russia’s record as a member of the Human Rights Council. With additional reportage from Bloomberg News
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