After UNSC, India now abstains from vote in UNHRC on Ukraine issue

March 5: India on Friday has abstained in United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) vote on establishing independent commission of inquiry on Ukraine crisis. The UNHRC has decided to urgently establish an independent international commission of inquiry as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. India was among 13 countries of the 47-member council elected from UN members that abstained from the resolution, along with China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

 While the 47-member Council voted “overwhelmingly” with 32 in favour of the draft resolution, Russia and Eritrea remained against it and 13 other members abstained, including India, China, Pakistan, Sudan and Venezuela. Russia has denied targeting civilian areas, and Russian President Putin had accused the Ukraine government of attacks and human rights violations in the Eastern Donbas region to justify military operations in Ukraine.

India had also abstained from voting on a resolution to call for a special emergency session of the UNGA on the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as from voting on the UNSC resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with China and the UAE.

The Modi government has decided to abstain from three votes at the UN Security Council, two at the UN General Assembly in New York, two at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and one at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.