By Merlyn Mwanza
Zambia today stayed away from the United Nations General Assembly on a vote moved by the United States to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers killed civilians while pulling back from towns near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
The 193-member General Assembly voted Thursday on the draft resolution titled ‘Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council’.
However, Zambia which last time voted on a resolution to condemn Russia for launching its war in Ukraine this time around did not participate in any of the three categories, yes, no and abstention in today’s vote, which had 58 abstentions, while 24 nations, including China voted against the resolution, with 93 voting in favour, meaning that by a two-thirds majority Russia has now been suspended from the Human Rights body.
Russia had in advance warned nations that would vote for or abstain from the vote that there would be consequences in bilateral ties with that country.
The Human Rights Council consists of 47 Member States, elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly. The General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, “may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights.” Abstentions do not count and the resolution required two-thirds of yes/no votes to be adopted.
The Assembly voted on the draft resolution that “decides to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation.” Russia’s current membership on the Council ends in December 2023.
The only time a Member State was suspended from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council was Libya in 2011 when in an unprecedented move a resolution was adopted in the General Assembly that had expressed “deep concern about the human rights situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya” in the wake of Muammar Al-Gaddafi’s violent crackdown on anti-Government protestors.
The draft resolution titled ‘Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council’ notes the Human Rights Council resolution of March 4, 2022, in particular its grave concern regarding reports of “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” and “violations of international humanitarian law” committed by Russia during its aggression against Ukraine.
The draft resolution expresses “grave concern” at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by Russia, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights. It recognises strong expressions of concern in statements by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and by the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
Spokesperson for President of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, Paulina Kubiak Greer, told reporters that the draft resolution was submitted for co-sponsorship by Ukraine, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Republic of Moldova, the United Kingdom and United States.
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