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UN reinstates Libya’s membership in human rights council

18 November 2011 23:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN General Assembly voted late on Friday to reinstate Libyaâ€™s membership in the Human Rights Council, suspended on March 1 over Muammar Gaddafi regimeâ€™s brutal crackdown on protesters, APA reports citing Ria Novosti.

The reinstatement was approved by 123 "yes" votes against four "no" votes, with six abstentions.

Ahead of the vote, the countryâ€™s new authorities vowed to fulfill their commitments under the internationally accepted human rights standards, to promote and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law and to cooperate with relevant international human rights mechanisms.

The 47-member Geneva-based human rights watchdog, set up in 2006, is comprised according to a geographical formula. Libya had been elected to the council last year, with its term scheduled to end in 2013.

However, its membership was suspended weeks after violent clashes between supporters of Gaddafi and protestors demanding an end to his 42-year authoritarian rule began in mid-February.

The international NATO-led military operation began on March 19, two days after the approval of a UN resolution on "targeted measures" to protect civilians.

The country saw almost ten months of fierce fighting before the rebel Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) has established control the countryâ€™s territory, and Gaddafi was killed near his hometown of Sirte after being captured by TNC forces.