The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in Ukraine.
Media reports say the United States-initiated resolution achieved the two-thirds majority of UNGA voting members required to pass, with 93 votes cast in favor and 24 against. Fifty-eight countries abstained, but their votes did not count towards the final tally.
The brief resolution expressed “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.”
Al-Jazeera says the vote, which makes Moscow the first permanent member of the UN Security Council to ever have its membership revoked from any United Nations body, was immediately welcomed by Kyiv but criticized by Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed regret about the decision. “We’re sorry about that,” Peskov said in an interview with Britain’s Sky News. “And we’ll continue to defend our interests using every possible legal means,” he said.
Russia had called on an unspecified number of countries to vote “no”, saying an abstention or not voting would be considered an unfriendly act and would affect bilateral relations, according to Al-Jazeera.
Recall, the US pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2018, calling it a "cesspool of political bias."
Nikki Haley, the then US envoy to the UN, said at the time that it was a "hypocritical" body that "makes a mockery of human rights".
According to the BBC, Announcing the decision to quit the council, Ms. Haley described the council as a "hypocritical and self-serving organization" that displayed "unending hostility towards Israel."
The United States rejoined the United Nations Human rights Council in October 2021. reversing former President Donald Trump's withdrawal three years ago.
