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Blinken Slams Mounting Russian 'Crimes' In Ukraine, Questions Moscow's UN Rights Council Membership


U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (file photo)
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (file photo)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested the United Nations consider whether Russia should be stripped of its membership on the agency's human rights council as Russian "crimes" from its invasion of Ukraine mount "by the hour."

Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 1, the top U.S. diplomat said air strikes hitting hospitals, schools, and residential buildings during the unprovoked attack justified setting up an international probe into violations as an "important step toward ensuring documentation and accountability."

"One can reasonably ask whether a UN member state that tries to take over another UN member state, while committing horrific human rights abuses and causing massive humanitarian suffering, should be allowed to remain on this council," he said in a video address to the UN's top human rights body.

"If [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin succeeds in his stated goal of toppling Ukraine's democratically-elected government, the human rights and humanitarian crises will only get worse," he added.

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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