Exclusive: The U.S. Supports the UN Fact-Finding Committee's Report

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State responded on Friday to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the first report from the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding committee, stating that Washington supports the committee's request for the Islamic Republic to fully cooperate with the council and to ensure unhindered and safe access for all victims affected by human rights violations to evidence. This spokesperson reiterated the remarks of Michelle Taylor, the U.S. representative to the UN Human Rights Council, regarding the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls, expressing that Washington is 'horrified' by numerous reports of these poisonings across Iran, calling for an 'immediate end' and 'accountability for these abhorrent actions,' and requesting the fact-finding committee to investigate these poisonings. The UN International Fact-Finding Committee held a session on Wednesday at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva and presented its oral report to the 'Human Rights Council' regarding the 'human rights situation in the Islamic Republic.' In this meeting, Sara Hussein, the head of the fact-finding committee, referred to the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and her family's pursuit of justice, stating that the Amini family has not only witnessed a lack of justice but that Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two journalists who reported on this issue, have been arrested and tried. She emphasized that the committee had informed the Islamic Republic from the beginning that it sought access to Iran, responsible officials, and victims to hear all parties' perspectives and examine the claims received. The head of the fact-finding committee announced that the Islamic Republic had provided no 'direct response' to the committee's requests.