Russia thrown out of Council of Europe

The Council of Europe says its Committee of Ministers has officially decided to expel Russia from the human rights body, the first time a member state has been kicked out of the group.

The council is Europe's oldest political body and aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the continent, reports BBC.

The Strasbourg-based council said in a statement on 16 March that it had unanimously adopted a motion "which considered that the Russian Federation can no longer be a member state of the organization."

The decision, made a day after Russia informed the organization that it was withdrawing, means "the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership."

A statement from the council's committee of ministers said after an "extraordinary" meeting, Russia's membership had been suspended.