United States: Russia has reportedly failed in its bid to rejoin the United Nations’ (UN) top human rights body, 18 months after it was suspended following its invasion of Ukraine.
Bulgaria had 160 votes and Albania had 123 in a secret ballot of the 193 General Assembly members. This grants each country a three-year term on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), starting January 1, 2024. Russia only got 83 votes, as per the statement.
“UN member states sent a strong signal to Russia’s leadership that a government responsible for countless war crimes and crimes against humanity doesn’t belong there,” said Mr. Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.
In April 2022, the US led a diplomatic effort to remove Russia from the council. The election for the coming term had been viewed as a test of Moscow’s diplomatic support amid fierce Western-led criticism over its brutal assault on its neighbour, as per the report.
Before the vote, Albanian Ambassador Mr. Ferit Hoxha stated that the UN General Assembly had a crucial decision to make, emphasizing the need to show they wouldn’t appoint an arsonist as a firefighter.
The UN vote occurred a few days after a Russian missile strike hit the Ukrainian village of Hroza, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people.
“Russia can still boast that it got support from nearly half the UN’s members today,” quoted Mr. Richard Gowan of the non-profit Crisis Group.
“This does offer some support to Russia’s claim that its diplomatic isolation is gradually decreasing as many states are tiring of arguments over Ukraine. Ukraine’s friends are still the most powerful force in the General Assembly,” Mr. Gowan added.
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