Russia says it deserves a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. It may have a shot
Russia is campaigning for a return to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council – after being suspended just last year for invading Ukraine. Will the rest of the world vote on Tuesday to reinstate it?
Russia’s war in Ukraine war is still grinding on, and several UN human rights investigations have accused Moscow of committing human rights abuses. The International Criminal Court has even issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the deportations of Ukrainian children.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin is hoping that enough countries in the world are ready to move on, for one reason or another.
As support for Ukraine wanes in some US political corners, the outcome of the Human Rights Council vote will offer fresh insight into how the wider world feels now about Russia – and how many countries may be willing to overlook its actions in Ukraine.
The vote is expected to begin on Tuesday morning inside the UN General Assembly in New York, where delegates from all 193 member states sit and do business.
The Human Rights Council is made up of 47 member states, distributed by geographic region and elected by fellow nations. On Tuesday, three countries will be vying for two seats for the Eastern European bloc: Russia is running against Albania and Bulgaria.
In theory, voting takes into account the candidate’ human rights records and commitments. But the ballot is secret, which makes it easy for nations to send their own messages. Some might approve Russia just to send a message to the US about its big power behavior. Other nations need the Kremlin to be generous with food and grain.
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