United Nations: The deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, today expressed concern about the precedent that could be set by a possible expulsion of Russia from the Human Rights Council, as the United States intends.
But this type of matter remains in the hands of the member states and we will leave it to them to decide, the spokesman specified in the usual daily contact with the press accredited to the United Nations.
This Monday, the United States announced that it will seek the expulsion of Moscow from the body that watches over human rights at the international level and put as justification alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.
For her part, the spokeswoman for the president of the UN General Assembly, Paulina Kubiak, specified that they had not yet received any request from Washington to withdraw Russia from the Human Rights Council.
Previously, the US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that she will press to suspend Russia from that body based in Geneva, Switzerland.
On numerous occasions, the northern nation has been at the center of controversy in that UN body due to confirmed human rights violations in that country, including by government entities.
During the administration of Donald Trump (January 2017-January 2021), the United States requested his departure from the Human Rights Council, alleging that there is partiality and a “chronic bias” against Israel.
The announcement was made just after that Council strongly criticized the White House for its policy of separating migrant children from their parents.
When Joe Biden came to power, the northern nation returned to the Human Rights Council in February 2021.
According to what the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on that occasion, to defend human rights you have to start at home and recognized the great problems that his country has in that area.