The UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to create a dedicated special rapporteur on human rights in Russia. The resolution was adopted on a vote of 17 in favor, 6 against and 24 abstentions.

The Council set up the rapporteur to operate for a year and requested the mandate holder to monitor the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, to collect, examine and assess relevant information from all relevant stakeholders, to make recommendations, and to present a comprehensive report to the Council at its 54th session and to the General Assembly at its 78th session. The Council also strongly urged the Russian authorities to comply with all of the state’s obligations under international human rights law.

The move follows stricter Russian laws this year and the forced closure of human rights groups, including Memorial Human Rights Centre, which won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

According to rights groups, a series of laws passed in Russia have effectively criminalized criticism and reporting of the war, forcing independent media to close down, leave the country or face harsh sanctions. Thousands of people now face administrative charges and hundreds are being prosecuted criminally for having spoken up, wearing the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag, or holding a blank poster signifying anti-war sentiment, and the state has also adopted flawed laws on “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations” have been used to obliterate civil society, and criminalize anyone associated with independent groups.

The move is the first time that the 16-year-old Human Rights Council has set up a special rapporteur to examine the rights record of one of its members who hold permanent seats on the Security Council.

The resolution cites many concerns, including mass arrests and detentions, and targeted harassment of journalists, politicians, human rights defenders, and other activists. It criticizes the forced shutdowns of civil society organizations, including the Russian human rights organization Memorial.

On September 20, several human rights organizations wrote to the Council to support the resolution at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council on the establishment of a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia, citing several human rights cases of abuse including those listed above.

Russia’s foreign ministry firmly rejected the resolution, saying it contained false allegations.