UN Committee Protests Continued Human Rights Violations by Islamic Republic of Iran
The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, November 14, protested the continued violation of human rights by the Islamic Republic of Iran by approving a resolution.
According to Reuters, the five-page resolution was approved, which, while protesting the violation of freedom of religious and ethnic minorities, referred to the continuation of ethnic discrimination, high execution rates, and the poor situation of prisoners.
The resolution was approved by a close vote. In the Third Committee session of the UN General Assembly, 83 members voted in favor, 30 members voted against, and 68 members abstained.
The resolution was proposed to the Third Committee of the UN by the Canadian government.
After the approval by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, the resolution will be put to a vote in the UN General Assembly.
The resolution made special reference in condemning human rights violations against Bahá’ís in Iran, as the most populous non-Muslim minority group in Iran. The resolution referred to economic and educational discrimination and called for the release of 90 imprisoned Bahá’ís in Iranian prisons.
Bani Dugal, representative of the Bahá’í International Community at the United Nations, welcomed this condemnation and said that this resolution shows that despite Iran’s deception about the suppression of Bahá’ís, the international community is aware of the realities and addressing Iran’s non-compliance with international law is on its agenda.
A 23-page report by Ms. Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, was attached to this resolution.
Ms. Jahangir, before the approval of the resolution against Iran, by reading her report, referred to multiple instances of human rights violations by the Iranian government, including: arbitrary detention, prosecution of individuals for activities that are their rights such as labor activists and journalists, and violation of legal rights of the accused in courts.
Asma Jahangir in her report also addressed the situation of Bahá’ís in Iran and noted that many members of the Bahá’í community in Iran suffer from violations of their human rights by the government. She also referred to multiple problems for work and economic activities of Bahá’ís, their expulsion from banks and companies, and the closure of their shops.
The United States and Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of human rights violations. A month ago, Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, stated in her annual report that although the Rouhani government has taken steps, Iran continues to violate human rights and, while carrying out numerous executions, does not respect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.
Source: Radio Farda
