Pressure on Human Rights Activists in Iran and 28 Other Countries Due to Cooperation with the UN

The UN Human Rights Office criticized Iran and 28 other countries in a report published on Wednesday, September 20, for exerting pressure on their citizens due to cooperation with the UN on human rights issues. This report was released while the annual UN General Assembly is taking place in New York, where many heads of member states, including Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, are present. According to Reuters, an unprecedented 29 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China, have pressured and punished their citizens for cooperating with the UN. Andrew Gilmour, the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Human Rights, stated that among those citizens who have cooperated or had contact with the UN Human Rights Office, some have been 'abducted, arrested, or even gone missing.' The UN Human Rights Council report indicates that some victims of government pressure have lost their businesses, some have witnessed security forces raiding their homes or workplaces, and some have been banned from leaving the country. These incidents are common, especially in recent years, for human rights activists in Iran, and most of them end up in prison facing charges such as security accusations or disturbing public opinion. Iran has consistently been criticized by the UN and human rights advocacy groups for 'human rights violations,' with Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also criticizing 'human rights violations' in Iran during the 36th session of the UN Human Rights Council. According to the Deputy Secretary-General, among the countries listed in the recent report, 9 governments are currently members of the UN Human Rights Council: Burundi, Egypt, Rwanda, Cuba, Venezuela, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In the eighth annual report of the UN Human Rights Council published on Wednesday, Andrew Gilmour expressed 'disgust' at the problems faced by citizens of these countries due to their work in the field of human rights. Mr. Gilmour described these problems and incidents for citizens as 'completely contrary to the charter and spirit of the UN and especially this council.' The other twenty countries mentioned unfavorably in the annual report of the Human Rights Council include Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Honduras, Iran, Israel, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. According to Reuters, previous reports from the UN Human Rights Council have averaged 15 condemned countries, and this number has never exceeded twenty. China and Saudi Arabia have appeared in six out of eight reports from the UN Human Rights Council.