BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA ZIMBABWE is among the 24 countries that voted against a United Nations General Assembly Resolution to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council on Thursday.
The resolution was adopted in Geneva after 93 out of the UN 193 member states voted in its favour, while 58 abstained.
South Africa was among the 58 countries that abstained to vote, including India, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi, among others.
UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding.
The UN General Assembly meeting passed the resolutions following allegations of atrocities and human rights violations being committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Last week, photos emerged from the city of Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, where hundreds of civilian bodies were found in the streets and in mass graves following Russia’s withdrawal from the area.
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Zimbabwe recently abstained from voting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the UN General Assembly, and defended its position saying it does not support the imposition of sanctions against member States.
In the first UN General Assembly vote on the Russia-Ukraine war, 141 member states voted against Vladmir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine while 35 countries abstained, and only five voted in favour of the Russian leader.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 pleading self-defence from its rivals under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Follow Miriam on Twitter @FloMangwaya