NEW DELHI: The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian troops killed civilians while pulling back from towns around Kyiv, the capital Ukraine.
As many as 93 of the 193-members of the General Assembly voted in favour of the resolution, 24 countries voted against it, whereas 58 countries including India abstained from the vote.
Speaking in the General Assembly, India’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti condemned the alleged massacre in Ukraine’s Bucha, and sought an independent investigation into the civilian killings.
“India has abstained on the resolution with regard to suspension of the Russian Federation from the Human Rights Council adopted in the General Assembly today. We do so for reasons of both substance and process. Since the inception of the Ukrainian conflict, India has stood for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives,” Ambassador TS Tirumurti said.
“If India has chosen any side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” he added.
Expressing deep concerns at the worsening situation in Ukraine, Ambassador TS Tirumurti called up warring factions Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. “When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option,” the Indian envoy stated.
“The impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations 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,” he said in a statement.
He further said, “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.”
Backed by 47 member countries, the Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations with each member being elected for a three-year-term. The council promotes and protects human rights across the globe.