U.N suspends Russia from Human Rights Council; India abstains from vote

What is the News?

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC).

Note: This is only the second time the UNGA has suspended a country from the 47-member UN Human Rights Council after its formation in 2006. In 2011, Libya was thrown out through a resolution adopted by UNGA through consensus.

What is the UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC)?

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How is a country removed from the UNHRC?

As per the rules, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) can suspend the rights and privileges of any Council member that it decides has persistently committed gross and systematic violations of human rights during its term of membership.

To suspend a member, one needs a two-thirds majority vote by the General Assembly.

Why was Russia suspended?

The resolution titled ‘Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council was first moved by the United States over Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.

How did the nations vote in the Russia case?

In the 193-member UNGA, 93 nations voted in favour of the resolution, while 24 were against it. Fifty-eight countries, including India, abstained from the process.

This met the two-thirds majority benchmark in which only the voting members, not abstentions, are counted from the 193-member General Assembly.

Why did India abstain?

India chose to abstain from the vote, saying that any such decision must follow the “due process” of investigation first.

However, India also sharpened its criticism of Russia by reiterating the need to respect the three red lines in international relations: “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states”, “UN Charter” and “international law”. 

Source: This post is based on the article “U.N suspends Russia from Human Rights Council; India abstains from vote” published in The Hindu on 7th April 2022.