The Third Committee of the 78th General Assembly has approved a resolution entitled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran” by a vote of 80 in favor to 29 against. The resolution condemned the discriminatory policies and practices of the Iranian regime against women, calling on Tehran to end its discrimination against women. It also condemned the intensified, targeted repression of women and girls by Iran, both online and offline. The resolution also called on Iran to end its harassment and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, especially those belonging to minority groups. The resolution urged Tehran to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms, especially with the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman. The resolution also cited mass arrests and arbitrary detention, disproportionate use of force, including force leading to the death of peaceful protesters, and imposition and carrying out of the death penalty against those connected to the protests.
The resolution also addressed the situation of Baluchi protesters in Iran and urged Tehran to stop the crackdown on Baluchi protesters. It also noted concerns regarding the increase in the use of the death penalty in Iran. The resolution marked a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The committee also approved six resolutions including on the human rights situations in Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Myanmar, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Iran’s representative at the session, Zahra Ershadi, rejected the resolution, calling it “biased and politically motivated” and blamed it on “Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, and the occupying and apartheid Israeli regime.”