Brazil abstains in UN vote to monitor human rights in Russia

In an unprecedented measure, the UN Human Rights Council approved this Friday (7) the creation of a mandate for a special rapporteur on human rights violations in Russia. Brazil, however, abstained from voting in Geneva.

The motion, tabled by nearly 50 countries — including the US, UK, Ukraine and Colombia — received 17 votes in favor and another six against. In addition to Brazil, 23 other nations, such as Mexico, India and Pakistan, abstained. In all, 47 countries make up the council.

It is the first time that the collegiate opens a special rapporteurship to examine the issue in one of the so-called “P5”, countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council and, therefore, have greater bargaining power in the organization – Russia, USA, France, China and UK.

British Ambassador Simon Manley told Reuters news agency the move was aimed “not to forget those fighting for freedom at home, while [Vladimir] Putin carries out oppression abroad”.

The head of Russian diplomacy in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, said during the vote that the text remains false allegations. “This resolution is yet another example of how Western countries are using the council to achieve political goals,” he said.

The vote this Friday also takes on a symbolic feature. Hours earlier, in Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Russian human rights organization Memorial, a pioneer in the country, as well as Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, as it had already done in the 2021 edition, which awarded Russian journalist Dmitri Muratov, criticized the repression put in place by the Putin government.

Brazil has been accused of adopting a position of neutrality in relation to Moscow, an important trading partner and ally in the BRICS. Last week, the country also abstained on a Security Council resolution that condemned Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukrainian territory.