UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council

Picture courtesy: Getty Images via AFP

The UN General Assembly has suspended Russia from Human Rights Council. The move came over reports of 'gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights by invading Russian troops in Ukraine.

The UNGA voted on a resolution to suspend Russia from the UNHRC, a move initiated by America after harrowing photos emerged of corpses strewn across the streets of Ukraine, with Washington terming “Moscow’s participation in the top human rights body as a farce".

The US-led push garnered 93 votes in favour, while 24 countries voted no and 58 countries abstained. A two-thirds majority of voting members - abstentions do not count - was needed to suspend Russia from the 47-member council.

India abstained on the resolution that was adopted in the UN General Assembly on Russia, said India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti.

Russia has 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.

Russia said the attempt to expel it from the Human Rights Council is a political act by countries that want to preserve their dominant position and control over the world.