UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged abuses in Iran

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday condemned a bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and voted to create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, especially those against women and children. .

A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was supported by 25 countries, including the United States and many European, Latin American, Asian and African countries. Six countries – China, Pakistan, Cuba, Eritrea, Venezuela and Armenia – voted against and 16 abstained.

The UN’s chief human rights official had previously urged the Iranian government to end its crackdown on protesters, but Tehran’s envoy to the Special Human Rights Council on the country’s “deteriorating” rights situation was defiant and inflexible. Instead, he denounced the initiative as “politically motivated”. .”

The protests were sparked more than two months ago by the death of 22-year-old Masa Amini, who had been detained by morality police for violating a strictly enforced Islamic dress code.

Thursday’s session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran’s crackdown, which has already imposed international sanctions and other measures.

“Test of Our Courage”

“This is a big breakthrough,” said Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Ray, from Toronto.

“Several highly professional people have collected evidence, collected data, collected the materials necessary to address the scope of all human rights violations that we know are taking place in Iran. We’ll get started,’ he told the CBC. power and politics“This is very important.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Beerbock in Geneva said the situation “will test our courage”.

“The United Nations was established to protect the sovereignty of all nations, but any regime that uses this power to violate the rights of its own people violates the values ​​of our United Nations.

“I have repeatedly called on Iran to respect its right to stop violent repression, bloodshed, arbitrary killings, mass arrests and executions of demonstrators,” said Beerbok. “The only answer we received was more violence, more deaths.”

Iran’s vice president for women and family affairs, Kadige Karimi, criticized the Western efforts as part of “Germany’s politically motivated move to distort Iran’s human rights situation.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply deplores that the Human Rights Council has once again been misused by an arrogant state to antagonize a sovereign United Nations member state fully committed to its obligation to promote and protect human rights. I think,” Karimi said.

She lashed out at government efforts to promote the role of women in the workplace and higher education, and criticized Western powers for their rights violations in places like Yemen and the Palestinian Territory, as well as against indigenous peoples in Canada. accused of being The Canadian government also recognizes this. .

Karimi acknowledged Amini’s “unfortunate death” and said “necessary steps” were taken afterwards, including the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry. accused of inciting violence.

UN Human Rights Director Volker Turk expressed concern over the Iranian government’s failure to listen to the international community.

“Iranian people are demanding change from all walks of life, regardless of race or age. It is rooted in years of denial of freedom,” he said. He said.

“I call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of violence and harassment against peaceful protesters, release all those arrested for peaceful protests and, crucially, suspend the death penalty. I ask that you do,” he added.

Reporting deadline is mid-2023

The German and Icelandic proposals were intended to strengthen the scrutiny carried out for years by the 47-nation council’s “special rapporteur” on Iran. Western diplomats say Tehran has led quiet pressure in Geneva and beyond to avoid further scrutiny through a new council resolution being considered Thursday.

The council will now set up a “fact-finding mission” to investigate rights violations “particularly concerning women and children” related to the protests that erupted on September 16. By allowing access to areas within Iranian territory, including places of detention.

Even without the cooperation of the administration, local people can use mobile phones to gather evidence, Ray says, and even individuals within the government can gather evidence.

“There are a lot of good people who work in these administrations and have access to a lot of information,” he said. You can access invaluable public data, government information, telegrams, information sent, emails exchanged, texts and messages from government officials.

“You will be amazed at what we can get.”

The team plans to report to the council in mid-2023.

Several Western diplomats have expressed anger at China’s last-minute attempt to nullify the planned investigation from the resolution. A Beijing representative said the fact-finding mission “clearly does not help resolve the issue” and “could further complicate the domestic situation in Iran.”

However, the effort was ultimately unsuccessful, with only five countries supporting China’s proposed amendment.

Ambassador Michele Taylor, US envoy to the Geneva-based council, said: “Iran has shown its unwillingness to investigate many credible allegations of human rights abuses by members of its security forces. It is important to pass a resolution to create an investigation team,” he said. other officials. “

Taylor said he was “personally appalled” by China’s attempt to sink the proposal.

“Some who have defended the Iranian authorities have argued that this is simply a cultural issue,” she said. there is no.”

Amini has remained a powerful symbol of the protests that have posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 2009 Green Movement protests drew millions to the streets.

At least 426 people were killed and more than 17,400 arrested, according to Iranian human rights activists, a group monitoring the riots.

At least five people were killed during anti-government protests at the funerals of two people killed the day before when Iranian security forces opened fire on demonstrators in a Western Kurdish town on Monday, activists said. Died.