Russia remains an observer at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after it announced it was suspending its membership to preserve its rights while working with the organization and to avoid the “Libya scenario,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has told Sputnik, APA reports.

On April 7, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution suspending Russia from the UNHRC due to its special military operation in Ukraine. As soon as the resolution was adopted, Russia suspended its membership in the UNHRC to remain an observer.

In 2011, the UNHRC suspended Libya’s membership and deprived it of all powers, including the right to participate in the decision-making process and to vote, the right to speak on agenda items, to prepare and distribute any statements. Vershinin said that the Libyan delegation could only continue attending meetings of the council.

“Had Russia agreed to the ‘Libya scenario’ on April 7, we would have received similar disenfranchisement for the remaining year and a half of our membership in the HRC. We would have been treated as a silent spectator and nothing more. The actual absence of Russia in the HRC would pave the way for Western countries’ further manipulations on the topic of human rights and its use as an instrument of political pressure and blackmail of ‘unwanted’ governments. We would not need to speak of the universality and effectiveness of the Council’s functioning in the event of such a development of the situation,” Vershinin said.

He said that Russia could not accept this option, therefore it has decided to suspend its membership in advance because the founding documents of the HRC do not contain any measures that could be applied against countries after the suspension of their membership.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency