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Human rights should not be used for changing legitimate governments

Russia's Foreign Ministry says "any attempts to introduce political or economic sanctions under the pretence of human rights reasons are categorically unacceptable"

Russia's Foreign Ministry ITAR-TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov

Russia's Foreign Ministry

© ITAR-TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov

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MOSCOW, March 03. /ITAR-TASS/. Human rights should not be used for changing legitimate governments, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s will attend the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva later today.

"Any attempts to introduce political or economic sanctions under the pretence of human rights reasons are categorically unacceptable,” the foreign ministry said. “We are confident that such sanctions can only exacerbate the situation in a country and facilitate further human rights violations."

“Our position is that human rights should not become instruments of political pressure or interference in domestic affairs, or to be used for changing legitimate governments,” the Russian foreign ministry said. “We shall be counteracting firmly the attempts to use the Committee for those purposes.”

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Moscow is opposed to attempts to impose via the Human Rights Committee narrow interpretations of the international norms in human rights, claiming those to be universal. “Nobody seems likely to argue human rights are universal, but the process of enjoying them should mind traditions, cultural and historic aspects and the level of economic development,” the ministry said. “It is incorrect to condemn a country for the mere fact that its possible limitation of certain rights and freedoms are tougher than in other countries.”

During the work at the Human Rights Committee, Russia “will continue to focus primarily on fighting racism, race discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including the modern forms of those.”

“We shall counteract uncompromisingly the attempts to review the history, to justify Nazi criminals and revive the Nazi ideology.”

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The UN Human Rights Committee “should not deal with topics outside its competence.”

“In other words, the Committee should not interfere with political prerogatives of the UN Security Council, settle issues of climate change, fighting terrorism, spread of drugs, and so forth.”

The upcoming session is expected to adopt about 20 resolutions, including that presented by the Russian Federation - on integrity of the judicial system. “This initiative is aimed at improvement of the international guarantees for fair and impartial judiciary for all,” the Russian foreign ministry said on the eve of the session.

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