Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Jul 22, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
×