GENEVA, June 14. /TASS/. On Tuesday, Russia criticized United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and her office for "one-sided and politicized" approach to the situation in Ukraine and for lack of response to the current wave of Russophobia in Western countries.
Speaking before the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva on Tuesday, Russian Diplomat Viktor Tsvetkov said Bachelet was ignoring calls to exterminate the Russian-speaking population, coming from numerous high-ranking officials in Kiev.
"We note with regret that your approaches, first of all to the situation in Ukraine, are becoming increasingly one-sided and politicized," the Russian diplomat said, adding that the Office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner "ostentatiously ignores" Russian "files about the Kiev government’s crimes in Donbass, about brutal torture and killings of Russian soldiers."
Tsvetkov went on to say that Russia also regrets the fact that the UN High Commissioner "lacks courage to condemn" the pro-Kiev military’s practice of using civilians as a human shield.
"You don’t want to notice hateful remarks made by Ukrainian officials, who call to exterminate the Russian-speaking population, to hunt for Russian journalists, to torture captured Russian soldiers," the Russian diplomat said.
He reiterated that Russia’s opening of humanitarian corridors, enabling evacuation of civilians in Ukraine, was ignored. Besides, there was "no due reaction to rampant Russophobia in Western countries," he added.
In Moscow’s opinion, this approach "undermines the reputation of the UN High Commissioner’s Office, whose duty is to defend human rights all over the world with impartiality."
"I would like to see your clear reaction to yesterday’s shelling of a maternity hospital in Donetsk by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to strikes targeting the center of this city and civilian facilities in Donbass and on the Russian territory, which led to civilian casualties," the Russian diplomat said.
The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council is taking place in Geneva on June 13 - July 8. Russia is not a member of the council, but, as a UN member, has the right to attend its sessions.
Bachelet said on Monday she was not planning to seek another four-year term at her current post. Her mandate expires on August 31.