THE CABLE
A document seen by the BBC has shown that Russia is seeking to rejoin the United Nations (UN) human rights council.
Russia was expelled from the council in April 2022 after it invaded Ukraine.
The UN adopted the resolution after hundreds of civilian bodies were found in the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, and in mass graves.
However, Russia is now seeking to get re-elected to the council for a fresh three-year term.
The move to rejoin the body comes days after the UN voiced fresh concerns over arbitrary mass arrests and the “persistent use of torture and ill-treatment”.
Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur for Russia, said arrests and harassment were recorded for “anyone speaking out against Russia’s war on Ukraine or daring to criticise the government’s actions”.
To rejoin the UN’s pre-eminent human rights body, a vote involving all 193 members of the UN general assembly in New York will have to take place…
