Ukraine, China in focus as U.N. human rights council session opens

More than 100 heads of state and ministers will take part in the U.N. Human Rights Council session in Geneva starting on Monday, seeking to tackle issues ranging from Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine to China’s treatment of its Muslim minority.

During the session, which opens on Monday and runs until April 4, many states will seek to extend the mandate of a U.N investigation body set up to probe atrocities in Ukraine.

Kyiv, which has called for the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s political and military leadership over the invasion, has said the body was essential to ensure Russia is held accountable for its crimes.

“We believe that it should be both a technical extension of the mandate but also substantially strengthen the text,” Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Office in Geneva, told reporters on Friday.

Kyiv and its allies are disgruntled by the participation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who will address the council on Thursday.

via Reuters