The Foreign Ministry explained the results of the elections to the UNHRC as an anti-Russian campaign by the West

During the elections to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), the West and its allies launched an unscrupulous campaign against Russia, openly agitating countries against the Russian Federation. About it it says in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The unscrupulous anti-Russian campaign launched by Washington, London, Brussels and their allies has had its effect, during which unprecedented pressure was exerted on UN member states, and often overt economic and political blackmail, to prevent Russia’s return to the HRC,” the report says.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Russia will continue to actively work in the Council as an observer state. The department outlined its main task as “finally reversing the trend of the Human Rights Council turning into a “punitive” body.”

Earlier on October 12, Director of the Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights of the Russian Foreign Ministry Grigory Lukyantsev expressed confidence that “Russia’s voice will still be heard,” despite the fact that the country was not elected to the HRC. He added that observer status gives “essentially the same rights” as council members, except for voting on decisions.

October 10 at the UN General Assembly passed elections to the UN Human Rights Council. As a result, Russia received 83 votes out of 97 required and was not included in the HRC for the period 2024-2026.

As a result of the voting, the HRC included 15 new countries: Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Albania, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cuba, France and the Netherlands and, for the first time, the Dominican Republic. They will serve on the council for three years from 2024. In total, the HRC includes 47 countries.

In April 2022, the UN General Assembly suspended Russia’s membership in the HRC at the initiative of the United States within the framework of a special session on Ukraine. This decision was supported by 93 countries, 24 were against it, and 58 abstained. Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Gennady Kuzmin then noted that Russia views the resolution as a politically motivated step. He added that Moscow prematurely terminated its powers as members of the HRC on April 7, 2022.