US to move to suspend Russia from UN human rights council
The United States will push to remove Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council over Ukraine’s accusation that invading troops massacred civilians in the town of Bucha, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday.
A spokesperson for Thomas-Greenfield tweeted that Thomas-Greenfield would seek the suspension.
“In close coordination with Ukraine, European countries and other partners at the UN, we are going to seek Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council,” spokesperson Olivia Dalton tweeted, quoting Thomas-Greenfield.
Reuters reported that Thomas-Greenfield called Russia’s participation in the Human Rights Council a “farce” during remarks from Bucharest on Monday.
“And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the U.N. General Assembly vote to remove them,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
The Human Rights Council is a body at the U.N. charged with promoting and protecting human rights globally. Two-thirds of the 193 members of the U.N. would need to vote in favor of suspending Russia from the council for committing human rights abuses in order for the U.S. push to be successful.
The U.N. voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the beginning of March, days after Russian forces launched a large-scale military attack targeting Kyiv and other cities.
The U.S. has already formally accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine, but the evidence of such crimes mounted as horrific images of civilian bodies and mass graves in the streets of Bucha emerged over the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “genocide” in remarks on Sunday. Russia has denied that it killed civilians in Bucha and called the accusations “provocation” by Ukraine’s government.
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