A request to appoint a new independent expert on suspected human rights violations in Russia was easily approved by a UN human rights council on Friday. Moscow was charged with fomenting a “climate of terror” through repression and violence.
Members cast 17 yes votes, 6 no votes, and 24 abstained from voting. The Human Rights Council, which has been around for 16 years, is making history by appointing a Special Rapporteur to look into the human rights history of one of its so-called “P5” members, who hold permanent seats on the Security Council.
Right after the vote, Britain’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, told Reuters, “We want it to be clear tonight that we didn’t forget those who battle for freedom at home while (Russian President Vladimir) Putin represses the Russian people and carries out persecution outside.”
The motion was introduced by over 50 nations, including Britain, all EU nations except Hungary, the United States, Ukraine, Japan, and Colombia. China, Venezuela, Cuba, Eritrea, Bolivia, and Kazakhstan were among the nations that abstained.
The action follows the forced closure of human rights organisations, including Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, and tougher Russian regulations this year to penalise anyone who, in Moscow’s opinion, disgrace the armed forces or distribute false information.
The motion, according to Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, comprised a “torrent of baseless charges.”
He said that “this draught resolution is another another illustration of how Western nations are utilising this council to achieve their political objectives.”
Yang Zhilun, a representative for China, accused the Western nations that proposed the motion of applying different standards to migrants and people of colour in their own countries.
The 47-member council is bitterly split, with an increasing number of nations opposed to taking action against particular nations, which they claim amounts to political intervention, led by Russia and China.
Western nations are relieved by Friday’s victory following the historic loss of a China motion on Thursday.
