Russia Expelled from UN Human Rights Council... Second Ever After Libya

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Russia was expelled from the United Nations Human Rights Council on the 7th (local time). Russia is the second country to be expelled from the UN Human Rights Council, following Libya in 2011.

The UN General Assembly held an emergency special session on the 7th (local time) and passed a resolution to suspend Russia's membership in the UN Human Rights Council with 93 votes in favor, 24 against, and 58 abstentions. Although the number of countries voting in favor did not reach half of the total 193 UN member states, the resolution was adopted because more than two-thirds of the UN member states present and voting, excluding those absent or abstaining, supported it.

The UN decided to expel Russia from the Human Rights Council due to the massacre of civilians committed by Russia in Ukraine. Libya was expelled from the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 for violently suppressing anti-government protesters. This is the first time a permanent member of the UN Security Council has been suspended from a UN-affiliated organization.

The resolution, pushed by the United States, was supported by Western countries and South Korea, while North Korea, China, and Iran voted against it. North Korea, which opposed both the resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resolution pointing out responsibility for the humanitarian crisis at last month's UN General Assembly, publicly expressed its opposition through a speech by UN Ambassador Kim Song just before the vote. India, Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia abstained.

Following the passage of the resolution, Russia will no longer be able to propose resolutions, participate in votes, or speak at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Despite the suspension, Russia can nominally remain a member of the UN Human Rights Council, but Gennady Kuzmin, Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, immediately declared withdrawal, calling the resolution an "illegal and political measure." Before the vote, he also urged rejection, denying "false allegations against us based on fabricated incidents." On the other hand, Sergey Kyslytsya, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN, appealed for support of the resolution, stating, "Russia's actions are beyond reason. Russia is not only a country that violates human rights but also one that shakes the foundation of international peace and security."

The passage of the resolution was prompted by evidence revealing that Russian troops committed mass killings of hundreds of civilians in places such as Bucha, Ukraine. The UN regulation allowing suspension of membership for countries committing serious and systematic human rights violations served as the basis. The resolution expressed "serious concern about the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine" and cited cases of human rights violations by Russia.

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