Nicolas Boeglin, Professor of Public International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Costa Rica (UCR)
On 7 April 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution suspending Russia’s participation in the Human Rights Council.
The first operative paragraph (OP1 in United Nations jargon) of this resolution states that the General Assembly:
“1. Decides to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation”.
In its intervention, among many others statements given by States that have supported this suspension, French delegate stated (see its declaration) that:
“En adoptant cette résolution, aujourd’hui, l’Assemblée générale adresse un message clair à la Fédération de Russie : ses agissements sont contraires à toutes les valeurs que nous défendons depuis la création des Nations unies. La Russie doit rendre des comptes sur les violations flagrantes et systématiques des droits de l’Homme qu’elle commet en Ukraine. Nous avons une obligation collective de protéger les droits de l’Homme et l’intégrité du Conseil des droits de l’Homme. La Russie en est suspendue et la France salue la décision courageuse de cette Assemblée“.
On behalf of European Union (EU) Member States, its representative declared (see its statement) that:
“The scale and gravity of Russia’s violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as the violations of the UN Charter and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of another State, call for strong united international response. Russia is responsible for a horrific number of casualties, suffering, forced displacements, and relentlessly Russian armed forced have been shelling cities, schools, hospitals for more than one month now.The Russian authorities are responsible for the crimes committed while they had effective control of the area. They are subject to the international law of occupation“.
On the contrary, Cuban delegate, who voted against this resolution on the suspension of Russia, declared (see his statement):
“Por supuesto, no todos en esta sala comparten nuestras preocupaciones sobre el mecanismo de suspensión, pues saben que las víctimas de su uso selectivo siempre serán otros. ¿Podrá esta Asamblea aprobar algún día una resolución suspendiendo la membresía de Estados Unidos en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, por poner solo un ejemplo? Todos sabemos que eso no ha sucedido ni sucederá, a pesar de sus violaciones flagrantes y masivas de los derechos humanos, como consecuencia de invasiones y guerras de rapiña contra Estados soberanos, en función de sus intereses geopolíticos”.
We refer to this official UN press release on this vote (as well as its French version.
The official version of the resolution A/RES/ES-11/3 adopted can be found at the end of this article, in English, French and Russian.
The United Nations Human Rights Council in very short
As it is well known, the Human Rights Council is the highest human rights body within the current United Nations structure, made up of States elected by the United Nations General Assembly itself.
From the Latin American region, we have had the opportunity to analyse the recent election of Argentina, Honduras and Paraguay on behalf of Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place in October 2021 (see our brief note published in Spanish); that of Bolivia, Cuba and Mexico in 2020 (see note); as well as that of Brazil and Venezuela in 2019 (see note), an election in which Costa Rica participated with a last minute candidacy that finally failed (Note 1). The eight aforementioned States elected in 2019 constitute the current representatives of Latin America in this intergovernmental body, which is composed of 47 Member States.
It should be recalled that the current Human Rights Council, created by resolution A/RES/60/251 of April 2006 (see text), replaced the Commission on Human Rights, which functioned from 1946 until March 2006: it was composed of 53 Member States.
The suspension of a State from membership at the Human Rights Council following a decision coming from the General Assembly has only one unique precedent: in 2011, Libya was subject to a very similar resolution suspending its membership (see text of resolution A/RES/65/265 of March 2011). This resolution on Libya has been adopted in 2011 without a vote at the UN General Assembly.
Another recent absence at the Human Rights Council occurred in June 2018, when United States opted to withdraw from the Human Rights Council voluntarily, as a sign of solidarity with its staunch Israeli ally: Israel’s highest authorities welcomed this unprecedented gesture by their unconditional American ally (see Times of Israel´s article of 20/06/2018) (Note 2). In 2014, a very similar situation in which United States voted against (and totally alone) the establishment of a mechanism to investigate Israel´s military actions in Gaza did not provoke such withdrawal from United States (Note 3).
The vote recorded on 7 April: some details
The draft of future resolution A/RES/ES-11/3 adopted on 7 April in New York has been presented on 6 April by 57 States, including Colombia on the Latin American side, followed later by Costa Rica and Guatemala (Note 4): the voting record shows that the resolution has been adopted with 93 votes in favour, 24 against, 58 abstentions and 18 States whose delegates opted for the always peculiar option of “No Show” (see details of the vote in this UN link).
The votes in favour included those of Hungary (one of the proposing State) and Serbia, States usually reluctant to expose Russia in this type of exercise at the universal level, as well as the votes of Israel and Turkey, States that are trying to offer their good offices in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
Among those who voted against the resolution suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council were Bolivia, Cuba and Nicaragua in the American hemisphere; as well as, in Africa, Algeria, Burundi, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali and Zimbabwe, among others; and in Asia, China, Iran and Vietnam.
Among the 58 abstentions were Barbados, Belize, Brazil, El Salvador, Guyana, Mexico, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. In African continent, we find Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. In Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, among others.
“Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, in particular paragraph 8, which states that the General Assembly may suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights,
Taking note of Human Rights Council resolution 49/1 of 4 March 2022, in particular the grave concern of the Council regarding reports of gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the Russian Federation during its aggression against Ukraine,
Recalling its resolutions ES-11/1 of 2 March 2022 and ES-11/2 of 24 March 2022,
Expressing grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, in particular at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights, recognizing the strong expressions of concern in statements by the Secretary-General and by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and noting the latest update on the human rights situation in Ukraine by the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, of 26 March 2022,
1. Decides to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation;
2. Also decides to review the matter, as appropriate;
3. Further decides to adjourn the eleventh emergency special session of the General Assembly temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly to resume its meetings upon request from Member States”.
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Suspension du droit de la Fédération de Russie de siéger au Conseil des droits de l’homme
L’Assemblée générale,
Rappelant sa résolution 60/251 du 15 mars 2006, en particulier le paragraphe 8 qui l’autorise à suspendre le droit de siéger au Conseil des droits de l’homme d’un membre de celui-ci qui aurait commis des violations flagrantes et systématiques des droits de l’homme,
Prenant note de la résolution 49/1 du Conseil des droits de l’homme du 4 mars 2022, dans laquelle notamment le Conseil s’est dit gravement préoccupé par les informations concernant des violations flagrantes et systématiques des droits de l’homme et atteintes à ces droits et des violations du droit international humanitaire commises par la Fédération de Russie lors de son agression contre l’Ukraine,
Rappelant ses résolutions ES-11/1 du 2 mars 2022 et ES-11/2 du 24 mars 2022,
Gravement préoccupée par la crise des droits de l’homme et la crise humanitaire en cours en Ukraine, en particulier par les informations concernant des violations des droits de l’homme et atteintes à ces droits et des violations du droit international humanitaire par la Fédération de Russie, y compris des violations flagrantes et systématiques des droits de l’homme et des atteintes à ces droits, consciente des vives préoccupations exprimées par le Secrétaire général et la Haute-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme, et prenant acte du dernier compte rendu sur la situation des droits de l’homme en Ukraine présenté le 26 mars 2022 par la mission de surveillance des droits de l’homme en Ukraine,
1. Décide de suspendre le droit de la Fédération de Russie de siéger au Conseil des droits de l’homme ;
2. Décide également de revenir sur la question selon qu’il conviendra ;
3. Décide en outre d’ajourner à titre provisoire sa onzième session extraordinaire d’urgence et d’autoriser son président à la rouvrir à la demande des États Membres.
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“Приостановление прав членства Российской Федерации в Совете по правам человека
Генеральная Ассамблея,
ссылаясь на свою резолюцию 60/251 от 15 марта 2006 года, в частности на пункт 8 ее постановляющей части, в котором установлено, что Генеральная Ассамблея может приостановить членство в Совете по правам человека какоголибо члена Совета, который совершает грубые и систематические нарушения прав человека,
принимая к сведению резолюцию 49/1 Совета по правам человека от 4 марта 2022 года, в частности серьезную обеспокоенность Совета сообщениями о грубых и систематических нарушениях и ущемлениях прав человека и нарушениях международного гуманитарного права, совершенных Российской Федерацией в ходе ее агрессии против Украины,
ссылаясь на свои резолюции ES-11/1 от 2 марта 2022 года и ES-11/2 от 24 марта 2022 года,
выражая серьезную обеспокоенность продолжающимся правозащитным и гуманитарным кризисом на Украине, особенно в связи с сообщениями о нарушениях и ущемлениях прав человека и нарушениях международного гуманитарного права со стороны Российской Федерации, включая грубые и систематические нарушения и ущемления прав человека, учитывая решительные выражения обеспокоенности в заявлениях Генерального секретаря и Верховного комиссара Организации Объединенных Наций по правам человека и отмечая последнюю обновленную информацию о ситуации с правами человека на Украине от 26 марта 2022 года, подготовленную миссией по наблюдению за правами человека на Украине,
1. постановляет приостановить права членства Российской Федерации в Совете по правам человека;
2. постановляет также вернуться к рассмотрению данного вопроса при наличии надлежащих условий;
3. постановляет далее временно прервать работу одиннадцатой чрезвычайной специальной сессии Генеральной Ассамблеи и уполномочить Председателя Генеральной Ассамблеи возобновить ее заседания по требованию государств-членов”
A version of this very same text is available here in Spanish and has been posted in different sites and online newspapers.