Russia slams 'bias' of UN human rights body

Russia has denounced the growing "bias" of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), after the UN body harshly criticized the human rights situation in the country.

Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council's in Geneva on Tuesday, Russian representative Ilya Barmin blasted what he termed as "the unprecedented rise in bias and politicization" of the OHCHR, a day after the UN human rights body accused Moscow of trying to silence its opponents.

"This is evidenced by the mention of our country in yesterday's statement by the Acting High Commissioner, who ignored mass human rights violations in Europe, the US and other countries of the collective West," Barmin said.

The Russian diplomat further said the OHCHR "continues to pointedly ignore" evidence concerning the crimes of the Kiev government as well as the atrocities of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.

Additionally, the "OHCHR turns a blind eye to neo-Nazism in Ukraine and prohibition of activities of opposition parties and movements, arrests and torture of opposition members, human rights defenders and public figures in Ukraine," he said.

Barmin also denounced the UN human rights body for not condemning "many cases" of Ukrainian forces firing on civilian infrastructure and populations in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant using Western-supplied weapons.

The office "did not condemn the provision of lethal weapons by the West to Ukraine. This clearly leads to questions regarding the impartiality of the OHCHR," he added.

SS