Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 20, 2025

UN votes to suspend Russia from its Human Rights Council despite opposition

UN votes to suspend Russia from its Human Rights Council despite opposition

Less than half of the member countries voted in favor of the motion. The session marks the third UN General Assembly vote on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, the latest in a series of resolutions denouncing the Ukraine invasion.

The move comes after Ukraine and its partners accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

"We need to take action today to save the council from sinking," Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said before the vote.

Of the 193 members in the assembly, 93 voted in favor and 24 voted against. Some 58 members abstained, giving the vote the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

In comparison to previous votes condemning Russia's invasion, a greater number of Russia-friendly countries such as China voted against the proposal rather than simply abstaining.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked the members who voted in favor of removing Russia from the council in a message on Twitter. "War criminals have no place in UN bodies aimed at protecting human rights," he wrote.


Russia had been serving a three-year term on the 47-member council — the body charged with protecting human rights.

You can watch the session live here.


Mass killings in Ukraine


Video and photographic material from Bucha, as well as other previously occupied towns near the capital Kyiv, show scores of dead civilians. Ukrainian authorities have said they found more than 300 bodies, of which 50 appeared to have been executed.

Russia has denied the accusations and said that the images were staged. Most Western countries have rejected this claim.

Ukraine had previously accused Russia of targeting civilians and residential buildings with its shelling and airstrikes. A strike that hit a children's hospital and maternity ward drew international condemnation.

Russia is only the second country to have its membership in the Human Rights Council revoked, following Libya in 2011. At the time, longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi was facing off against popular upheavals.

Veiled threats from Moscow


Russia issued a warning on Wednesday ahead of the session, saying that countries that vote in line with the US would face consequences.

A letter seen by Reuters also threatened countries that abstained or refused to participate in the vote, saying that this would serve Washington's aims.

The campaign to suspend Russia was launched by US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The previous votes by the UN General Assembly saw many countries abstain. These included usually friendly countries such as China and India who have refused to criticize the invasion.

This led to two overwhelming votes to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
×