UN General Assembly Approves Resolution on Human Rights Violations in Iran
A majority of UN General Assembly members voted in favor of a resolution on human rights violations in Iran. Iran described the resolution as having a “political approach.” The resolution was drafted at Canada’s proposal.
On Monday, December 17 (Mehr 26), the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on human rights violations in Iran with 84 votes in favor against 30 votes in opposition. The resolution criticized Iran for “alarming high rates” of executions, particularly in connection with drug-related crimes, as well as the continuation of arbitrary detentions.
The resolution, whose draft was prepared by Canada, had previously been approved by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on November 15. The resolution was prepared based on reports from Javaid Rehman, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, regarding the human rights situation in Iran.
The resolution addressed the suppression of religious minorities in Iran, including Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sufis, Sunnis, Zoroastrians, followers of Ahl-e Haq (Yarsanism), and members of the Bahá’í community, and also expressed concern about the continued execution of minors below the legal age.
According to IRNA, the representative of the Islamic Republic at the United Nations described the resolution as having a “political approach” prior to the vote and urged members of the General Assembly to vote against it.
Russia, Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Pakistan, Oman, Syria, and Iraq were among the countries that opposed the passage of this resolution. 67 countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, and Morocco, abstained from voting on the resolution.
Bahram Qassemi, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, had previously described the resolution as “based on a selective, discriminatory, biased outlook with political objectives” when the draft was approved in the Third Committee of the General Assembly.
Hilal Neuer, executive director of the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, welcomed the passage of the resolution and wrote on Twitter: “Today the world sent a powerful message: we condemn Iran’s brutal crackdowns, which have continued with intensity. UN Human Rights Watch stands with the Iranian people who have no greater wish than to have their voices heard and their government held accountable for the crimes it has committed.”
Neuer also emphasized in a statement that Human Rights Watch calls on the international community to use the opportunity created by the passage of this resolution to “intensify condemnation of Iran’s government’s increasing violations of the rights of all citizens and demand change.”
The statement also referenced the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, a political prisoner who recently died in Qom prison following a hunger strike: “The death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri last week in prison, who was imprisoned for posting critical posts against government leaders on Facebook in Tehran, emphasizes the urgent need for the international community to condemn Iran for human rights violations.”
