The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly Condemns Ongoing Human Rights Violations in Iran

A committee of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, November 14, condemned the ongoing human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran in a five-page resolution. The resolution was passed in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly with 83 votes in favor, 30 against, and 68 abstentions. It expresses concern over the continued violations of the freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities, organized state discrimination against minorities, high execution rates, poor prison conditions, torture, and arbitrary detentions in Iran. According to the UN website, this resolution titled 'The Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran' was presented by Canada. The Canadian representative expressed condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Iran and Iraq while presenting the draft resolution. He also stated that human rights in Iran continue to be widely violated, and the high number of executions in the country is alarming. The Canadian representative emphasized that this draft was prepared in collaboration with other countries to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, convincing the country to fulfill its international obligations. He added that the issue of human rights is a primary concern of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. Reports indicate that the presentation of this draft resolution by Canada provoked a reaction from Iran. According to IRNA, Isagh Al Habib, Deputy Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations, described 'double standards and discriminatory practices' as inseparable from the foreign policy of countries like Canada during the Third Committee meeting. Al Habib stated, 'Canada is so eager for the resolution that it did not even wait for the relevant report of the Secretary-General to be distributed. Canada, disregarding Iran's repeated requests for respectful dialogue, is keen on this biased resolution. Understanding such insistence on politicizing and polarizing human rights is difficult.' This resolution is set to be voted on in the UN General Assembly. While this resolution was passed, in September of this year, Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, also expressed concern regarding executions and the violation of the rights of religious minorities in Iran. In this context, Jahangir stated: 'Improving the human rights situation in Iran is impossible without reforming the judicial system.' The UN rapporteur urged Iran to address concerns regarding the hunger strikes of prisoners. Criticism from Qasemi regarding the UN rapporteur's recent report on the human rights situation in Iran was also noted. UN rapporteurs called on Iran to cease harassment and intimidation of BBC staff.