Russia voted out of UN Human Rights Council

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin

Los angeles : In a stubborn decision against Russia, the UN General Assembly on Sunday voted the nation out of UN Human Rights Council for its war crimes policies in Syria.

Russia is facing allegations of war crimes in relation to its policies in Syria and thus lost its seat on the UN Human Rights Council after the UN General Assembly voted to elect 14 members to the Geneva-based organ.

The action was taken in a secret ballot vote out where 193-member General Assembly elected 14 nations to serve on the Human Rights Council.

Significantly, the United Nations body is responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.

The 14 elected nations list includes Brazil, China, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the United States.

They have been elected for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2017. Meanwhile, India, which is currently a member of the 47-member human rights body, its term will expire in 2017.

UN director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) Louis Charbonneau said, “In rejecting Russia’s bid for re-election to the Human Rights Council, UN member states have sent a strong message to the Kremlin about its support for a regime that has perpetrated so much atrocity in Syria.”

The UN Watch also hailed the decision and called the ouster a “positive outcome” of the election. A statement from Executive Director Hillel Neuer read, “non-election of Russia shows that the nations of the world can reject gross abusers if they so choose.” 

Moscow has faced severe international criticism for allying with the Syrian government and  indiscriminately killing over 200,000 people during the last five years. 

The election was sought by China, Cuba, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UK as their terms were set to expire in December this year.