The UN General Assembly on Thursday passed the resolution to suspend Russia’s HRC membership, with 93 countries voting in favor and 24 countries, including China, voting against it. Indonesia was among the 58 abstaining countries, which included India, Singapore and Malaysia.

Russia withdrew from the council after the resolution was passed.

Russian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said suspending Russia’s UNHRC membership was an “unlawful and politically motivated step” and that Moscow had “made a conscious decision to withdraw in advance,” AFP reported.

The resolution came amid reports of civilian killings discovered in the suburbs around Ukrainian capital Kyiv after Russian troops retreated, which prompted international condemnation and a new round of sanctions leveled against Moscow.

Ukraine has accused Russian troops for killing civilians, which Russia has denied.

Read also: Indonesia calls for 'independent' Bucha killings probe

Indonesian Ambassador to the UN Arrmanatha Nasir said the country shared the international community’s “deep concerns” over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and that it did not “take lightly [the] reports of gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” that had emerged from the war.

“For these reasons, we believe the Human Rights Council must remain seized [of] the matter and support the [UN] Secretary-General’s call for a thorough and independent investigation,” Arrmanatha told the General Assembly on Thursday.

“We also fully support the establishment of an independent international commission of inquiry by the Human Rights Council,” he added.

Arrmanatha said the commission must have full support in carrying out its mandate, adding that UN member countries should allow for due diligence and “not prejudge” the commission’s work.

He also called on all parties to stop the hostilities and to resolve the conflict peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy.

“We must stop the war. I repeat: We must stop the war now. Otherwise, we will all suffer,” he said.

Libya is the only other country whose HRC membership has been suspended, over its military crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.

Established in 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, to promote and protect human rights worldwide, the UNHRC has 47 elected members. Russia joined the council in January 2021 as one of 15 countries the General Assembly elected to serve a three-year term.

United States President Joe Biden hailed the UN resolution in a statement, calling it a meaningful step that further demonstrated how the Russian invasion of Ukraine had turned Moscow into “an international pariah.”

Biden said that Russia had “no place” on the UNHRC, a position which he accused Moscow of abusing by spreading disinformation about the conflict.

"Russia's lies are no match for the undeniable evidence of what is happening in Ukraine," he said, as quoted by Kyodo News.

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