Several members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee have urged the administration of President Joe Biden to press for Russia’s removal from the United Nations Human Rights Council over its military operations in Ukraine.
This came in a letter dated Monday and published on Tuesday, in which eight Democrats and four Republicans asked the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, to submit a resolution to remove Russia from the UN rights body, citing widespread casualties in Ukraine and the destruction of residential buildings, hospitals and schools.
Support for Ukraine is one of the rare areas of bipartisan agreement in the deeply divided US Congress, which has approved billions of dollars in aid for the government in Kyiv.
“Swift action must be taken to show the world that the United States and our allies will not tolerate indiscriminate and unjustified attacks on civilians and democracies,” the letter said, adding that it is time for Russia to no longer have a seat at the council.
It is worth noting that only one country has been suspended from the Geneva-based council, which is Libya. Its membership was suspended in 2011 due to violence against protesters by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi at the time.
