MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO via AFP
–
WAR IN UKRAINE – The UN General Assembly, made up of 193 member countries, suspended Russia on Thursday 7 April from its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council because of the invasion of Ukraine, in a vote which collected 93 votes in favor and reflected an erosion of international unity vis-à-vis Moscow.
Of the 193 member countries of the General Assembly, 24 voted against this suspension – the second in the history of the UN after the ousting of Libya in 2011 -, initiated by the United States. And 58 countries abstained, but the abstentions, a choice denounced by kyiv, were not taken into account in the two-thirds majority required among the only votes for and against.
Among the countries that voted against is China, which denounced a “hasty approach” as well as a “dangerous precedent”. Iran, Kazakhstan and Cuba also voted against. Unsurprisingly, Russia, Belarus and Syria opposed the proposed resolution on ballot.
–
“Illegal”
After this decision, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described this suspension as “illegal” and “politically motivated, aimed at ostentatiously punishing a sovereign member state of the UN which pursues an independent domestic and foreign policy”.
“Unfortunately, under the current conditions, the Council is practically monopolized by a group of States which use it for their own opportunistic purposes”, still regretted the Russian ministry.
Despite pressure in recent days from Moscow for countries to vote against, several African states, including South Africa and Senegal, have chosen to abstain, saying that the resolution suspending Moscow “prejudges the results of the survey” created in early March by the Human Rights Council.
Brazil, like Mexico and India, all three currently non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, has adopted the same abstentionist position. Chile, on the other hand, voted in favour.
According to Washington, Russia’s suspension from the Geneva Human Rights Council is more than symbolic and has increased Moscow’s “isolation” on the international scene since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is accused of war crimes and abuses against civilians in the Ukrainian areas it has occupied, such as Boutcha, which hastened Washington’s move to have it suspended from the Human Rights Council. Moscow has been an intermittent member of the Council since 2006 because only two terms in a row are allowed for its members. Its current term expires in 2023. Ukraine is among the current members of the Council.
The General Assembly expresses its “deep concern”
The resolution adopted this Thursday by the General Assembly recalls that the latter “may suspend the rights of membership of the Human Rights Council of a member of the Council who commits flagrant and systematic violations of human rights”.
It expresses the “deep concern” of the General Assembly “at the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crisis in Ukraine, in particular in the face of reports of violations and abuses of human rights” , sometimes “systematic”, and “violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation”.
The Human Rights Council is the main United Nations forum responsible for promoting this area. Created in 2006, it is made up of 47 member states, elected by the United Nations General Assembly. In addition to promoting human rights, its mission is to regularly review their situation in UN member countries.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly has spoken on this war three times, including Thursday’s vote. On March 2, during a first historic vote, 141 countries had condemned the invasion launched by Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, 5 countries voting against (in addition to Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea), 35 abstaining.
On March 24, the General Assembly called for unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians in Ukraine. During the ballot, 140 countries voted for, five against (the same five as on March 2) and 38 countries abstained.
See also on The HuffPost: The emotion of the French deputies in front of the speech of Zelensky
–
