WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, marking the latest departure by the Trump administration from an international institution. She accused the council of being "a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias". "The UN's Human Rights architecture plays a very important role in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide." Also, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein responded that the US withdrawal from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is "disappointing, if not really surprising". "Given the state of Human Rights in today's world, the U.S. should be stepping up, not stepping back," Zeid said on Twitter.