UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council

Russia is now the second country to be suspended from the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.

The U.N. General Assembly voted Thursday to remove Russia from the world organization’s leading human rights body.

The vote came amid allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield started the campaign to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council after videos and photos were released of streets in Bucha, Ukraine covered with corpses of what appeared to be civilians after Russian soldiers withdrew.

The deaths have prompted global calls for tougher sanctions on Russia, which has claimed its troops were not responsible.

Thursday’s vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions, significantly lower than the vote on two resolutions the assembly adopted last month demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians.

Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

In March 2011, the U.N. General Assembly suspended Libya from the Human Rights Council because of violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.