Russia Loses Reelection to UN Human Rights Council

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet in UN headquarters in Geneva.

According to The New York Times, Russia lost its bid for reelection to the United Nations Human Rights Council on October 28 after lobbying efforts by several human rights groups called attention to Russian violations of international humanitarian law in Syria. The loss was unprecedented, as other states with questionable human rights records regularly serve on the council and permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, rarely lose UN elections.

The Human Rights Council iscomprised of 47 states, each serving three-year terms. Members are elected by other UN member states. Russia, whose current term on the council expires this December, ran against Hungary and Croatia for one of two spots reserved for Eastern European countries this year.

In a petition signed by several NGOs, Human Rights Watchasked member states to “question seriously whether Russia’s role in Syria – which includes supporting and undertaking military actions which have routinely targeted civilians and civilian objects – renders it fit to serve on the UN’s premier intergovernmental human rights institution.” The petition was published online on October 24 and made available in both Arabic and English. Signatories included both major Western human rights organizations and smaller organizations based in Syria.

In past years, states which regularly violate human rights have been elected to the council with little difficulty, raising questions about the institution’s moral legitimacy. This year, according to The Guardian, China, Cuba, and Egypt were among the 14 states elected despite documented human rights abuses by all three governments. Saudi Arabia was also reelected, though it faced a Human Rights Watch-led opposition campaign similar to the one leveled against Russia.

The fact that human rights charges against a UN member state were taken seriously enough by other members to bar that state from the council shows a rare moment of consensus on Russian human rights violations and sets a precedent that may affect other members of the council in later elections.

The loss was also significant given Russia’s status as a permanent member of the Security Council. Due to their institutional power within the United Nations and practical power in other diplomatic forums, it is rare for a Security Council member to lose such elections. No other Security Council permanent member has failed in a reelection bid to the Human Rights Council.

According to The New York Times, the last time a permanent member lost its place on a similar council was in 2001. In that year, the United Stateslost reelection to the council’s precursor, the UN Human Rights Commission, due to international disapproval of President George Bush’s unilateralist foreign policy and disregard for international laws and treaties.