Russia loses election to UN rights council
October 29, 2016  00:35
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Russia on Friday failed to win re-election at the UN Human Rights Council during a vote that capped a campaign by rights groups to reject Moscow over its role in the war in Syria.

The UN General Assembly elected Hungary and Croatia instead to represent eastern Europe at the rights council, in a major upset for Moscow which has been a member for all but one year since the council was set up in 2006.

The 193 member-states voted to fill 14 seats at the 47-nation council, which is tasked with monitoring and investigating rights violations worldwide.

More than 80 human rights and aid organizations had urged UN member-states to vote Russia off the council for its military support of President Bashar al-Assad in the war in Syria.

Russia has been accused by western powers and rights groups of indiscriminate bombings in the monthlong Syrian government operation to seize rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
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