Russia suspended from United Nations’ Human Rights Council following Ukraine invasion

The decision comes after the Ukrainian president revealed horrifying details of savagery and suffering to the UN

Russia has been suspended from the United Nations' Human Rights Council following its invasion of Ukraine. Ninety-three members of the UN General Assembly voted for the suspension, while 24 voted against it and 58 abstained on Thursday, Sky News reported. Moscow has described the move as an "unfriendly gesture" and warned there will be consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters. Because Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and cannot be removed, suspending it from the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is seen as a significant way for the UN to show its disapproval of Russia's actions in invading Ukraine on February 24, the broadcaster noted. The decision comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UN on Tuesday that Russian troops "cut out the tongues of civilians" in a speech where he detailed numerous barbaric acts being inflicted on his people. Zelenskyy pointed out to the UN that the savagery was being inflicted by "a member of the United Nations Security Council" and compared Russia to terrorist group, ISIS. While the world has been gripped by the horrors that have come to light in Bucha in recent days, Zelesnkyy said the town is "only one of many examples" of where Russian troops murdered, raped, and mutilated innocents in what he said was the worst war crimes "we've seen since the end of World War Two". Zelenskyy called on the UN to reform to deal with the Kremlin's aggression. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has a veto with which it is able to block attempts to censure the Kremlin, something Zelenskyy said, "undermines the whole architecture of global security, it allows them to go unpunished so they are destroying everything that they can." Related stories:

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