Armenia abstains from voting on anti-Russian resolution in UNHRC PHOTO

China and Eritrea have voted against a resolution on Ukraine at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva on May 12.

The document, co-authored by 33 delegations, including the US, UK and France, was adopted as a result of the majority of votes, while 12 delegations, including representatives of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, abstained from voting. Russia did not participate in the meeting, TASS reports.

The resolution focuses on human rights, which, according to its authors, were violated in late February and March 2022 in Ukraine’s Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy, which were under the control of the Russian armed forces.

The resolution calls for the previously established UNHRC’s Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to investigate the situation in these areas to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Despite the insistent calls of the authors of the document for its adoption by consensus, there was no unanimity among the participants in HRC’s special session, convened at Kyiv’s initiative. The resolution was put to a vote at the suggestion of China, which sharply criticized the draft document due to lack of objectivity.

Besides China, Eritrea also voted against the resolution. Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Venezuela, India, Cameroon, Cuba, Namibia, Pakistan, Senegal and Sudan abstained from voting. The delegations of Eritrea, Venezuela and Cuba, in their statements, also criticized the document as China did.

Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov regarded the holding of HCR’s special session on Ukraine as another "political trick" of the West to demonize Russia.