General Assembly vote · April 7, 2022
How countries voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council
On April 7, 2022, the General Assembly suspended Russia's membership of the UN Human Rights Council, by 93 votes to 24 with 58 abstentions. The vote came days after images from Bucha, near Kyiv, showed civilians found dead after Russian forces, who had held the town from March 5 to 30, pulled out. Many countries that had demanded Russia's withdrawal in March did not back the suspension, and Russia quit the Council the same day.
- Yes
- 93
- No
- 24
- Abstained
- 58
- Didn't vote
- 18
Adopted: it needed two-thirds of the countries voting yes or no, and got 79%. Abstentions count for neither side.
- Yes
- No
- Abstained
- Didn't vote
- Not a UN member
Which countries voted against?
China voted no after abstaining on the earlier Ukraine votes. Joining Russia and China were Belarus, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Vietnam and Laos, four Central Asian states and nine African states. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan said the Assembly should wait for an impartial investigation, and Ethiopia and Gabon gave no public reason.
How did the big powers vote?
Why did fewer countries back this vote than in March?
Suspension needed two-thirds of the countries voting yes or no, under resolution 60/251. Abstentions did not count. Many governments that had demanded Russia's withdrawal in March said the Assembly should wait for the Commission of Inquiry the Human Rights Council had set up on March 4. Brazil said the commission "should be allowed to complete its independent investigation." Mexico said "Exclusion or suspension is not the solution." India, which had abstained in March as well, said it abstained "for reasons of both substance and process." Singapore, which had co-sponsored both March resolutions, abstained to "await the completion of" the commission's work.
Before the vote, Russia sent governments a note, reported by Reuters, warning that a yes vote or even an abstention would be seen as "an unfriendly gesture." China's ambassador Zhang Jun said the move "forces countries to choose sides" and "is like adding fuel to the fire."
- Demanding Russia withdrawMar 2022 141 yes5 no35 abstained
- The war's humanitarian tollMar 2022 140 yes5 no38 abstained
- Suspension from the Human Rights Council (this vote)Apr 2022 93 yes24 no58 abstained
- Rejecting Russia's annexationsOct 2022 143 yes5 no35 abstained
What did Russia and Ukraine say?
Ukraine's ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya introduced the draft resolution on April 7, the anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. Kyslytsya told the Assembly that "pressing 'no' means pulling a trigger." The United States ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield had said on April 4 that Russia's place on the Council was "a farce." After the vote, Thomas-Greenfield said the Assembly had ensured "a persistent and egregious human rights violator" would not hold a position of leadership on human rights.
Russia's deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin called the resolution "an illegitimate and politically motivated step" and announced that Russia was ending its membership early. The United Kingdom's James Roscoe raised a point of order, asking whether Russia's announcement was a formal withdrawal. He said it "sounds like someone who has just been fired and has tendered their resignation."
What happened after the vote?
Russia's term on the Council would have ended on December 31, 2023. On May 10, 2022, the Assembly elected Czechia to the seat. Russia was the second country ever suspended from the Council, after Libya in 2011 (suspended by consensus). Russia was the first permanent member of the Security Council to lose its rights in a UN body, as Al Jazeera and AP reported.
The UN Human Rights Office later documented the killings of 73 civilians in Bucha and was checking 105 more. The Commission of Inquiry found that Russian forces were responsible for "the vast majority" of the violations it identified. In October 2023, Russia tried to return to the Council and lost, receiving 83 votes when 97 were needed. Russia has not run since.
How did each region vote?
Europe and Oceania voted yes almost as one (43 of 47 and 12 of 14). In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, more countries abstained or voted no than voted yes: only 10 of 54, five of 29 and two of 14 voted yes.
- Europe47 countries 43 yes2 no0 abstained
- Americas35 countries 21 yes3 no10 abstained
- Asia29 countries 5 yes8 no14 abstained
- Oceania14 countries 12 yes0 no1 abstained
- Middle East14 countries 2 yes2 no9 abstained
- Africa54 countries 10 yes9 no24 abstained
What did the resolution say?
- The preamble recalls resolution 60/251, which created the Human Rights Council in 2006 and allows the Assembly to suspend a member "that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights."
- It expresses "grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, in particular at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights."
- It decides to "suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation."
- It also decides to "review the matter, as appropriate."
- It does not name Bucha and makes no finding of war crimes: it speaks of "reports" and "concern."
How did every country vote?
| Country | Region | Vote |
|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan | Asia | Didn't vote |
 Albania | Europe | Yes |
 Algeria | Africa | No |
 Andorra | Europe | Yes |
 Angola | Africa | Abstained |
 Antigua and Barbuda | Americas | Yes |
 Argentina | Americas | Yes |
 Armenia | Europe | Didn't vote |
 Australia | Oceania | Yes |
 Austria | Europe | Yes |
 Azerbaijan | Europe | Didn't vote |
 Bahamas | Americas | Yes |
 Bahrain | Middle East | Abstained |
 Bangladesh | Asia | Abstained |
 Barbados | Americas | Abstained |
 Belarus | Europe | No |
 Belgium | Europe | Yes |
 Belize | Americas | Abstained |
 Benin | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Bhutan | Asia | Abstained |
 Bolivia | Americas | No |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | Yes |
 Botswana | Africa | Abstained |
 Brazil | Americas | Abstained |
 Brunei | Asia | Abstained |
 Bulgaria | Europe | Yes |
 Burkina Faso | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Burundi | Africa | No |
 Cambodia | Asia | Abstained |
 Cameroon | Africa | Abstained |
 Canada | Americas | Yes |
 Cape Verde | Africa | Abstained |
 Central African Republic | Africa | No |
 Chad | Africa | Yes |
 Chile | Americas | Yes |
 China | Asia | No |
 Colombia | Americas | Yes |
 Comoros | Africa | Yes |
 Costa Rica | Americas | Yes |
 Côte d'Ivoire | Africa | Yes |
 Croatia | Europe | Yes |
 Cuba | Americas | No |
 Cyprus | Europe | Yes |
 Czechia | Europe | Yes |
 Denmark | Europe | Yes |
 Djibouti | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Dominica | Americas | Yes |
 Dominican Republic | Americas | Yes |
 DR Congo | Africa | Yes |
 Ecuador | Americas | Yes |
 Egypt | Africa | Abstained |
 El Salvador | Americas | Abstained |
 Equatorial Guinea | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Eritrea | Africa | No |
 Estonia | Europe | Yes |
 Eswatini | Africa | Abstained |
 Ethiopia | Africa | No |
 Fiji | Oceania | Yes |
 Finland | Europe | Yes |
 France | Europe | Yes |
 Gabon | Africa | No |
 Gambia | Africa | Abstained |
 Georgia | Europe | Yes |
 Germany | Europe | Yes |
 Ghana | Africa | Abstained |
 Greece | Europe | Yes |
 Grenada | Americas | Yes |
 Guatemala | Americas | Yes |
 Guinea | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Guinea-Bissau | Africa | Abstained |
 Guyana | Americas | Abstained |
 Haiti | Americas | Yes |
 Honduras | Americas | Yes |
 Hungary | Europe | Yes |
 Iceland | Europe | Yes |
 India | Asia | Abstained |
 Indonesia | Asia | Abstained |
 Iran | Middle East | No |
 Iraq | Middle East | Abstained |
 Ireland | Europe | Yes |
 Israel | Middle East | Yes |
 Italy | Europe | Yes |
 Jamaica | Americas | Yes |
 Japan | Asia | Yes |
 Jordan | Middle East | Abstained |
 Kazakhstan | Asia | No |
 Kenya | Africa | Abstained |
 Kiribati | Oceania | Yes |
 Kuwait | Middle East | Abstained |
 Kyrgyzstan | Asia | No |
 Laos | Asia | No |
 Latvia | Europe | Yes |
 Lebanon | Middle East | Didn't vote |
 Lesotho | Africa | Abstained |
 Liberia | Africa | Yes |
 Libya | Africa | Yes |
 Liechtenstein | Europe | Yes |
 Lithuania | Europe | Yes |
 Luxembourg | Europe | Yes |
 Madagascar | Africa | Abstained |
 Malawi | Africa | Yes |
 Malaysia | Asia | Abstained |
 Maldives | Asia | Abstained |
 Mali | Africa | No |
 Malta | Europe | Yes |
 Marshall Islands | Oceania | Yes |
 Mauritania | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Mauritius | Africa | Yes |
 Mexico | Americas | Abstained |
 Micronesia | Oceania | Yes |
 Moldova | Europe | Yes |
 Monaco | Europe | Yes |
 Mongolia | Asia | Abstained |
 Montenegro | Europe | Yes |
 Morocco | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Mozambique | Africa | Abstained |
 Myanmar | Asia | Yes |
 Namibia | Africa | Abstained |
 Nauru | Oceania | Yes |
 Nepal | Asia | Abstained |
 Netherlands | Europe | Yes |
 New Zealand | Oceania | Yes |
 Nicaragua | Americas | No |
 Niger | Africa | Abstained |
 Nigeria | Africa | Abstained |
 North Korea | Asia | No |
 North Macedonia | Europe | Yes |
 Norway | Europe | Yes |
 Oman | Middle East | Abstained |
 Pakistan | Asia | Abstained |
 Palau | Oceania | Yes |
 Panama | Americas | Yes |
 Papua New Guinea | Oceania | Yes |
 Paraguay | Americas | Yes |
 Peru | Americas | Yes |
 Philippines | Asia | Yes |
 Poland | Europe | Yes |
 Portugal | Europe | Yes |
 Qatar | Middle East | Abstained |
 Republic of the Congo | Africa | No |
 Romania | Europe | Yes |
 Russia | Europe | No |
 Rwanda | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | Americas | Abstained |
 Saint Lucia | Americas | Yes |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Americas | Abstained |
 Samoa | Oceania | Yes |
 San Marino | Europe | Yes |
 São Tomé and Príncipe | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Saudi Arabia | Middle East | Abstained |
 Senegal | Africa | Abstained |
 Serbia | Europe | Yes |
 Seychelles | Africa | Yes |
 Sierra Leone | Africa | Yes |
 Singapore | Asia | Abstained |
 Slovakia | Europe | Yes |
 Slovenia | Europe | Yes |
 Solomon Islands | Oceania | Didn't vote |
 Somalia | Africa | Didn't vote |
 South Africa | Africa | Abstained |
 South Korea | Asia | Yes |
 South Sudan | Africa | Abstained |
 Spain | Europe | Yes |
 Sri Lanka | Asia | Abstained |
 Sudan | Africa | Abstained |
 Suriname | Americas | Abstained |
 Sweden | Europe | Yes |
 Switzerland | Europe | Yes |
 Syria | Middle East | No |
 Tajikistan | Asia | No |
 Tanzania | Africa | Abstained |
 Thailand | Asia | Abstained |
 Timor-Leste | Asia | Yes |
 Togo | Africa | Abstained |
 Tonga | Oceania | Yes |
 Trinidad and Tobago | Americas | Abstained |
 Tunisia | Africa | Abstained |
 Turkey | Middle East | Yes |
 Turkmenistan | Asia | Didn't vote |
 Tuvalu | Oceania | Yes |
 Uganda | Africa | Abstained |
 Ukraine | Europe | Yes |
 United Arab Emirates | Middle East | Abstained |
 United Kingdom | Europe | Yes |
 United States | Americas | Yes |
 Uruguay | Americas | Yes |
 Uzbekistan | Asia | No |
 Vanuatu | Oceania | Abstained |
 Venezuela | Americas | Didn't vote |
 Vietnam | Asia | No |
 Yemen | Middle East | Abstained |
 Zambia | Africa | Didn't vote |
 Zimbabwe | Africa | No |