United Nations, May 11 (IANS): The UN General Assembly has elected the Czech Republic to the Human Rights Council to fill the vacancy left by Russia, whose membership was suspended in April due to its ongoing war in Ukraine.

In the by-election held on Tuesday, the Czech Republic was elected to replace Russia for the remainder of its three-year term that ends on December 31, 2023, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Czech Republic's term started immediately.

The Central European country was elected with 157 votes in favour, and 23 abstentions.

On April 7, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on a US-proposed resolution to suspend Russia from the UNHRC after stark images and horrific narratives of killings and atrocities emerged from Ukraine's Bucha.

Immediately after the vote, Russia had announced that it was voluntarily withdrawing from the 47-member Council.

The Human Rights Council, established by the UN General Assembly in 2006, is a UN body to promote and protect human rights.

The members of the council are elected by the General Assembly for staggered three-year terms.