Will Russia suspension from UNHRC make it step back from its stance?

 


As declared by the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken “By suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, countries around the world chose to hold Moscow to account today for gross and systematic violations of human rights in its premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified war of choice against Ukraine.  We have seen growing evidence of Russia’s brutal disregard for international law and human rights in Ukraine, most notably in the death and devastation it has caused in communities such as Bucha, Irpin, and Mariupol.  The atrocities the world has witnessed appear to be further evidence of war crimes, which serves as another indication that Russia has no place in a body whose primary purpose is to promote respect for human rights The world is sending another clear signal that Russia must immediately and unconditionally cease its war of aggression against Ukraine and honor the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.  The international community will continue to hold Russia to account, and the USA will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their sovereignty, democracy, and freedom.”[1]

 Already a month ago, the UNGA adopted a resolution on March 4, 2022 (ES-11/1) condemning Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and demanded that Russia “immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” That nonbinding resolution was adopted by a vote of 141-5.

The 7th of April, 2022 amid condemnation from all around the world, Russia has been removed from its seat on Human Rights Council, following a resolution of the General Assembly by a vote of 93-24 (58 abstained). This step has a considerable political weight and diplomatic significance since it’s one of the five member of the UNSC and it’s been undebately stated the non politicization of human rights defense. By this resolution, Russian Federation, that was in the middle of the three years term on HRC, won’t be able to vote and to speak during meetings anymore. As a response, Russia canceled HRW, AI and 13 other offices of foreign non governmental organizations and foundations from the country.

The Resolution was initiated by the USA, in a crucial moment in which remarkable changes are occurring under the sign of the equality and inclusion, as demonstrated by the recent appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first African American woman with a seat on the US Supreme Court.

Russia, as well as China for the persecution in Xinjian of the Uyghurs minority although the accusations of crime against humanity and genocide, that anyhow has never been condemned by the Council, should never have been on the Human Rights Council in the first place, as demonstrated also in the past by its conduct in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and now by the acts of aggression against Ukraine, regardless of the principles of territorial integrity and soveregnity and the right of self-determination. Moreover we can’t forget the poisoning of dissidents around the world and imprisonment of Russian critics of Russian President Putin that prevented 158 countries from voting to put Russia on the council in 2020. For those hoping that “international justice” will leap into action, bear in mind that the ICC did not formally launch an investigation into Russia’s alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 2008 war in Georgia until 2016[2]. This resolution has had its only last precedent against Qaddafi’s Lybia for the repression of anti-government protest movements by the police forces in 2011.

The U.S. and the other 92 member states deserve credit for suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council. But much work remains both to fix the U.N. human rights system and to hold Putin and Russia to account for the awful crimes committed in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The UN Human Rights Council consists of 47 members and is based in Geneva. Russia joined the body in January 2021 as one of 15 countries elected by the General Assembly to serve three-year terms. Under the 2006 resolution that established the Council, the General Assembly can suspend a country from membership if it commits gross and systematic violations of human rights.

Speaking after the adoption of the resolution, Deputy Permanent Representative Kuzmin, declared that Russia had already decided that day to leave the Council before the end of its term claiming the Council was monopolized by a group of States who use it for their short-term political and economic interests instead that for a true cooperation.

 China was among the countries that voted against the resolution. Ambassador Zhang Jun reckoned not to want adding fuel to the fire, intensifying the conflict, and jeopardizing peace efforts.

For the EU, instead, the scale and gravity of Russia’s violations in Ukraine call for a strong, united international response. The rare decision the Assembly has taken by this resolution is a strong signal of accountability and will help preventing and discouraging more violations of human rights

The USA has talked about “an important and historic moment” not only about accountability for Russia, but also about standing with the people of Ukraine, taking a collective step in the right direction, ensuring that a persistent human rights violator will not be allowed to occupy a position of leadership on human rights at the UN[3].

The war has severely impacted social cohesion, community security and the resilience of local communities, especially women and girls: lack of access to social services including schools and strained community resources have increased the burden of local women who responsible for the care for children, disabled and elderly family members.

Recent estimates indicate that 54 % of people in need of assistance from the ongoing crisis are women. More than 2.3 million refugees from Ukraine - the vast majority women and children – having fled to neighbouring countries, and others displaced within the country, reaching the amount of 4.5 millions of escaping people in need. According to UN Women, although the atrocities of the war, women must be represented in all decision-making platforms on de-escalation, conflict prevention, mitigation and other processes in pursuit of peace and security for the people of Ukraine. Women and girls will be impacted differently and disproportionally by this humanitarian crisis, impeding them to have access to healthcare, housing and employment and UN Women, present in Ukraine since 2015 will try to ensure that their specific needs are adequately met[4]. The organization will use its expertise in Ukraine and neighboring countries to identify and respond to women and girls’ specific needs as they evolve, redirecting their programming on the ground and sharing their gender expertise with the UN System and their humanitarian partners to help make humanitarian response plans and their implementation more gender responsive[5].

Furthermore, UN Women has been supporting social mobilization soliciting the creation of self-help groups, has been working closely with civil society partners and women peacemakers, ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making on humanitarian aid provision, recovery, reconstruction and conflict resolution. 

Since the beginning, the resilience of women and girls, as well as of other groups often left behind such as young people and members of the LGBTIQ community, have greatly impressed for guiding these efforts, also engaged in transit refugees or in their displacement response, facing the specific challenges including family separation, psychosocial stress and trauma, physical harm and injury, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health, exploitation and gender-based violence.

Strong expressions of concern have been revealed in statements by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and by the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, leading calls for a ceasefire. 

We are wondering if undertaking this resolution will be further fomented the divisions originated by this poignant war, as it results hard to believe that Russia, that is bringing forward continuous shelling and devastations above all on civilians, by killing and injuring them, although the many official denials, will be not induced but forced in peaceful process or change of strategy by the isolation and confinement within the international community until it will have strength and resources to fight for its supremacy on Ukranian neighbour. Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly the nth landmark step for the realization and implementation of the UN purposes, as expressed by the Charter, although its uncertain reactions, to rule according to the international law in the direction of the guarantees of freedoms and protection of human rights with zero compromise policy on fundamental values within the tables, institutions and bodies of the UN. Measures that, as pointed out and stressed, more often would have been taken in the international panorama also against other countries that regularly violate human rights although sitting on the Human Rights Council, such as China, Cuba, Pakistan, Somalia, and Venezuela among others. Although that, unsurprisingly the resolution continues to underwhelm until significant institutional and procedural reforms of the Council will be occured, as have been asked from many parts for several years, as many anomalies and malfunctioning of internal mechanisms of the UN system itself and of this body in particular are to be perfection enhanced in order to get more efficacy for the maintaining of peace and international justice, and at this point, given the horrific Putin permanent and inappropriate criminal conduct against Ukraine, careless of the advices and prompt solicitations from any part of the world not belonging its sphere of political influence or trade ties, whose despotism and authoritarianism has had as precedents just the WWII, we argue if we are in front of a conflict that will fully escalate once again, after almost a century, on a planetarian stage.

 

 

 

Other resources:

BBC World Service - Global News Podcast, Russia is suspended from UN's Human Rights Council

Ukraine conflict: 'Russian soldiers raped me and killed my husband' - BBC News

 

 

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