On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council, a resolution that accused Russia of committing human rights abuses in Ukraine. Democracy Now! speaks with human rights lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck about the apparent double standards and weaknesses in the current international criminal justice system in light of the U.S. committing similar crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nations like the U.S. have refused to submit themselves to international jurisdiction because “they want to lead their wars,” says Kaleck. “The International Criminal Court will only get off the ground shortly if Western states agree to apply universal standards.”

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

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#democracynow Afghanistan Iraq The International Criminal Court U.N. Human Rights Council United Nations General Assembly Western States