Russia wants to become a member of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council again. They were suspended from the council because they invaded Ukraine.
The country is being considered by the United Nations for a position on the council for the years 2024-2026. A vote to decide will happen on October 10.
If anyone tries to let Russia join again, the West will be very angry. Many NATO countries have said over and over again that Russia’s invasion of another country was unlawful, and because of that, Russia should not be allowed to be a member of international organizations.
Russia has been accused of a lot of human rights violations during its war in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for President Vladimir Putin‘s arrest because he is accused of trying to take Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia believes that the Human Rights Council is an important part of the United Nations.
Russia wrote a position paper that it is sharing with members of the United Nations to try to get their support. The paper says that Russia thinks it’s necessary to stop the growing trend of using the Human Rights Council for political purposes. They believe this council should not punish governments that are not loyal and have their own policies.
In April 2022, Russia was kicked out of the organization, after they fully attacked Ukraine. Membership of the council is decided by making sure each region has a fair representation. Right now, there are two empty seats in the Eastern European States group. Russia, Albania, and Bulgaria have officially said they want to be considered for that area.
Russia’s statement said that if they are elected again, they will work hard to promote cooperation and respectful conversations.
Western countries are likely to strongly disagree with or oppose the application before October’s vote.
A group of people who focus on human rights said that Russian forces are doing bad things in Ukraine. They are accusing them of doing things like hurting people, using explosives in ways that are against the law, and attacking important things like energy systems. These actions are considered crimes in times of war.
During the April 2022 UN General Assembly, many countries voted on whether to suspend Russia from the council. 93 countries were in favor of removing Russia, 24 countries were against it, and 58 countries chose not to vote.
China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Vietnam, along with Russia, were against the decision. Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia chose not to take a side.
Russia became a member of the council in January 2021. It was chosen along with 14 other countries to stay on the council for three years.
It was the first country to be kicked out of the council since Libya in 2011. This happened because its leader at the time, Muammar Gaddafi, suppressed people who were protesting against the government.
Russia is one of the five permanent members of the UN’s Security Council. There are no clear rules to take Russia off this position.
Moscow was last in charge of that council in April. The presidency of the council changes every month and there are 15 members.
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