UNITED NATIONS: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CRITICIZES IRANIAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

November 19, 2013: The UN General Assembly’s human rights committee criticized serious rights violations in Iran, including torture, frequent use of the death penalty and widespread restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression.
A resolution urging Iran’s new government led by President Hassan Rouhani to address ongoing human rights violations was adopted by a vote of 83-36 with 62 abstentions. The 193-member General Assembly is expected to give final approval to the resolution next month.
The resolution welcomes Rouhani’s pledge to eliminate discrimination against women and members of ethnic minorities, to promote freedom of expression and opinion, and to implement a civil rights charter.
At the same time, however, Canada’s UN Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski, whose country sponsored the resolution, said “human rights violations in Iran continue to be widespread and grave.”
The resolution cites Iran’s use of inhuman punishments including flogging and amputations, its “alarming” high use of the death penalty including against young people under age 18, its efforts to block or hinder Internet access and content and to jam international satellite transmission, and its harassment of human rights defenders.
“Following positive overtures and statements, the government of Iran must now act to demonstrate a real commitment to human rights reform,” Rishchynski said. (Sources: AP, 20/11/2013)