04.06.2022

Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Russia’s Human Rights Abuses

President Zelensky addressed the U.N. Security Council yesterday, detailing Russian atrocities against his people. The U.S. is now moving to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. Christiane speaks with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. about this move and other, broader efforts to isolate Russia.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: You know, it’s really important to talk to you about what the world can do. You know and you have heard President Zelenskyy literally tear into the U.N. and his lack of efficacy, as far as he sees it. So let me start by asking you something that you called for, the U.S. has called for, the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council of the U.N. Can you actually do that? Do you have the votes, do you think?

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Absolutely. We have been working very, very hard since this war started to build a coalition of countries who are prepared to condemn Russia. We got 141 votes the first time we went into the General Assembly. The second time, we got 140. And I have no doubt that we can defeat Russia here on the Human Rights Council. They don’t deserve to be on the Human Rights Council. Every single country in the General Assembly, they know that. How they vote will be very, very important. And we’re engaging with every single country to encourage them to support this effort.

AMANPOUR: So you believe you will get more than those votes that you just enumerated in the past?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We need a majority of those present and voting. And so I don’t know that we will get 140. I know that we will get the two- thirds vote required of those voting to win this.

AMANPOUR: OK. And what is the practical implication of suspending Russia? And why suspension and not outright expulsion?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, the practical result of it is continued isolation of the Russians, a strong message from the international community that we’re not going to allow them to sit in the Human Rights Council, declare themselves supporters of human rights while they are committing war crimes in Ukraine. And so that’s the message that we want to send. And that is the effect of that message. It is to get them off of the council, so that they don’t use the Human Rights Council as a propaganda arm for their actions.

About This Episode EXPAND

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield explains why the U.S. hopes to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says she’s pursuing nearly 4,500 war crimes cases. Gen. John Allen (Ret.) offers his analysis of the war. Reporter Vera Bergengruen explains how Kyiv’s municipal digital team have adapted the city’s tech to save lives.

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