UN adopts Canadian draft resolution censuring Iran for human rights violations, focusing on repression of women

NEW YORK — The United Nations has endorsed a resolution, drafted by Canada, that censuring Iran for escalating human rights violations and intensifying repression, particularly targeting women.

Against the backdrop of heightened violence by the Iranian regime against its dissenting voices and protesters in major urban centers, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, during its 87th session, approved the Canadian-drafted resolution spotlighting Iran’s human rights transgressions.

The resolution, commanding approval from the majority of Council members with 80 votes in favor, faced 29 rejections and 65 abstentions. Those opposing the resolution included Syria, North Korea, Iraq, Algeria, Belarus, and Pakistan.

Specifically, the resolution condemned the mounting repression by Iranian authorities against women in both public and virtual spheres. It urged Tehran to cease all forms of discrimination and physical or verbal assaults against women.

Abram Paley, the US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, expressed the US’s unwavering solidarity with the Iranian people as they grapple with oppression and violence, striving for a free and democratic future.

Last year, the Human Rights Council endorsed the establishment of a fact-finding committee tasked with investigating the ongoing protests in Iran. The committee’s mission is to scrutinize the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, with a particular focus on the plight of women and children.