UNITED NATIONS — Saudi Arabia should be ousted from the United Nations Human Rights Council for its unlawful killings of civilians in Yemen, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said jointly on Wednesday, an unusual demand meant to draw attention to one of the world’s most powerful countries, embroiled in one of the world’s most brutal wars.

The chances of that happening are slim to none. The suspension of any country from an elected body of the United Nations is extraordinary, and it would be all the more so for a country with powerful friends like the United States. The proposal would need a two-thirds majority vote in the 193-member General Assembly.

Libya was the last country suspended from the Council, which is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights. The General Assembly approved its ouster in 2011, after protesters were met with violent reprisals by the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

Saudi Arabia is another matter. It was elected to the 47-member Human Rights Council in 2013. Since then, it has beat back efforts at the Council to create an independent commission of inquiry to look into human rights abuses in Yemen.