US Moves To Suspend Russia From UN Human Rights Council, Calling Presence A “Farce”

The United States is moving to suspend Russia’s from the United Nations Human Rights Council amid allegations that Russian troops have committed a massacre in the town of Bucha, which is on the outskirts of Kiev. Ukraine has alleged that 410 bodies have been found, many which had their hands tied behind their backs and were shot execution-style.

America’s ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed on a Monday statement that she’ll work with allies to suspend Russia from the body. “In close coordination with Ukraine, European countries and other partners at the UN, we are going to seek Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council,” she said.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya

She further said it was a “farce” to allow Putin’s Russia a seat on the council during remarks in Bucharest on Monday. “And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the U.N. General Assembly vote to remove them,” Thomas-Greenfield added.

For the US to get Russia booted from the UN HRC, two-thirds of the United Nations’ 193 member countries would have to vote in favor of the move. It must be remembered (in light of the UN HRC is being pointed to as a farce) that China and Venezuela have a seat on the council, and Saudi Arabia has in past years. 

Over the weekend soon after Ukrainian forces took back possession of Bucha, a flood of social media videos – many of them filmed by Ukrainian troops – came out purporting to show the extent of civilian atrocities. This has driven outrage among political officials and in Western media. 

Russia for its part is urging an emergency session of the UN Security Council over the Bucha allegations, saying that the Kremlin is ready to demonstrate they are being made over ‘staged provocations’. 

On Monday President Zelensky went to the town amid a heavy international media presence…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha today. His face says it all. pic.twitter.com/IWOmIdnnVT

— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) April 4, 2022

“The Russian Defense Ministry on April 3 dismissed the Kiev regime’s charges its forces had allegedly killed civilians in the community of Bucha, the Kiev Region,” an explanation in Russian state media begins based on the foreign ministry statements.

“The ministry recalled that Russian forces left Bucha on March 30 while faked evidence of alleged killings was presented four days later, when Ukrainian security service SBU agents arrived in the locality,” TASS writes. “The Russian Defense Ministry also said that on March 31 Bucha’s Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said in a video address that there were no Russian soldiers in the community. Nor did he mention any locals allegedly shot on the streets.”