Russia has lost its bid to become a member of the UN’s human rights council, in a defeat that reflects the diplomatic cost of its war in Syria. “They bomb a hospital one day, they run for the Human Rights Council the next. The 193-member general assembly on Friday elected 14 members to the 47-nation council, the UN’s main body charged with promoting and protecting human rights. It also shows how important it is to have competitive slates in UN elections,” Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said. Next year, UN member states should make sure that all regional groups have real competition so no one is guaranteed victory,” he said.

Source: The Guardian October 28, 2016 18:41 UTC