RUSSIA SUSPENDED

peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” he said.

Tirumurti pointed out that the impact of the crisis had been felt beyond the region, with increasing food and energy costs, especially for developing countries, and that it was in everyone’s collective interest to work constructively, within the UN and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict.

“India has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, right from the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We firmly believe that all decisions should be taken fully respecting due process, as all our democratic polity and structures enjoin us to do. This applies to international organisations as well, particularly the United Nations,” he added.

The resolution was championed by the US, which termed Russia’s continuation in the 47-member Council a “farce”. The resolution needed the support of two-thirds of the voting members, with abstentions not being counted. After Thursday’s vote, Russia will remain a member of the 47-member HRC, but will not be able to exercise its rights as a member to speak or vote. The Council has already begun investigations on Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters.

Soon after the suspension was announced, Russia said that the vote was “illegal and politically motivated”, AFP reported. Russia’s foreign ministry said it decided on an “early termination” of its seat, adding, “Unfortunately, under the current conditions, the Council is practically monopolised by a group of states that use it for their own opportunistic purposes.”

India’s stance is a continuation of its balancing act but observers see an evolution in its position. After Bucha, for the first time, India condemned an act of killing in Ukraine that is alleged to have been committed by Russian forces, and backed an independent probe. Moscow had sought support rather than an abstention on Thursday’s resolution. But while sending a signal to Moscow with its statement of condemnation and its abstention of vote, India also — for the first time — flagged substantive and procedural issues with a Westbacked resolution and the need for more democratic process.

In a clear signal of its continued support for Moscow, and what analysts see as concern over a precedent being set on human rights issues, China backed Russia’s continuation in the Human Rights Council. All other South Asian countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan — abstained on the resolution.

Commenting on the significance of the vote, Ashish Pradhan, a UN analyst with the research and advocacy outfit, International Crisis Group, said that Thursday’s vote was the latest indication of Russia’s “pariah status” on the international stage, adding Moscow would no longer be able to shield its allies criticised for their own human rights abuses at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

But Pradhan pointed out that the vote to suspend Russia, unlike two earlier votes on resolutions in the Assembly which condemned Russian aggression and had mustered the support of 140 member-states, indicated a new, more difficult phase in international diplomacy. “It potentially shifts UN diplomacy into a new phase as the cross-regional support secured in the past two UNGA resolutions was eroded with most Asian, African, and Arab members abstaining. India explained its abstention by pointing to substantive disagreements within the text and about the lack of due process. It signalled displeasure at a lack of outreach and consultation by the resolution’s proponents.”

The western bloc moved on the resolution after the Bucha killings triggered outrage over alleged Russian actions. But the erosion in the number of countries willing to vote against Russia at the Assembly, and complaints about the process, stem from a sense among developing countries that the western bloc was unilaterally putting together a text, with little input from others, and then lobbying to secure the support of other countries — while ignoring their more pressing concerns. “Western members should use the UNGA as a forum to maintain some crossregional consensus by now prioritising issues like addressing the spiking food and commodity prices around the globe which will resonate with many of the members who decided not to back today’s text,” Pradhan said.