The Council of Europe, an international organisation founded to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law, has suspended Russia’s rights of representation in light of its invasion of Ukraine. 

On Friday, the France-based human rights body announced on its website that Russia’s suspension is a temporary measure, leaving channels of communication open.

“In line with the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers has today decided to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly with immediate effect as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine,” the council said.

The suspension means that Russia will remain a member of the Council of Europe and party to the relevant Council of Europe conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights.

The council added that a judge elected to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of the Russian Federation will also remain a member of the Court, and applications introduced against the Russian Federation will continue to be examined and decided by the Court. 

The suspension follows comments made by Marija Pejčinović Burić, the secretary general of the Council, who had said the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent by Russia’s Vladimir Putin escalated the annexation of Ukrainian territories.

Ms Burić added that it was a violation of international law and a unilateral breach of the Minsk agreements. 

The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 in the wake of World War II. It has 47 member states, with a population of approximately 820 million. The Russian Federation became the 39th member state on February 28 1996.