MOSCOW, March 28 (RAPSI/RIA Novosti) - The United Nations Human Rights Council has approved a draft resolution submitted by Russia and opposed by the United States on the integrity of justice systems around the globe.
"The resolution is aimed at preventing human rights violations caused by fragmentation in the judicial system," Russia's mission at the UN in Geneva said via Twitter, adding the document moves towards the establishment of an international legal foundation for equal access to justice worldwide.
"The USA voted against the resolution due to the practice of illegal detention at Guantanamo [Bay]," the mission added.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov earlier told RIA Novosti the resolution is aimed at guaranteeing the right of detained persons to have their case heard in a court operating under commonly recognized international standards.
A legal system with several separate regimes can lead to people being intentionally deprived of access to a fair and impartial trial, resulting in serious violations to human rights, Gatilov said.
The United States opened prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay in 2002 in order to create a site outside the US justice system to house detainees, who the US argued were not guaranteed basic human rights provided for by the Geneva Conventions.
Around 150 detainees remain in prison at the facility.
The 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council is currently ongoing in Geneva.
