The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday voted in favour of the suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The UNGA voted in favour by two-thirds to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council. With 93 countries voting in favour, 24 against and 57 including India abstaining on the resolution, UNGA suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council.
🔲 #UN General Assembly suspends #Russia from #HumanRightsCouncil
93 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 24 countries voted against it, 58 countries abstained pic.twitter.com/MwS7TePB06
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) April 7, 2022
A vote on whether or not to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council took place after the US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield made a case for seeking the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council in front of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
Notably, condemning the killings in Ukraine’s Bucha and supporting the call for an independent investigation, India abstained from voting on the resolution.
Hundreds of civilian residents were found dead on the streets in Bucha, besides their homes, and in mass graves. Ukraine accused Russia of the Bucha massacre. However, Russia has denied the allegations and said that it was Ukrainian propaganda.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.
Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised to help Ukraine with military aid to fight Russia.