UN approves mission to investigate human rights abuses in Iran

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has adopted a resolution establishing a mission of investigation into human rights violations during the protests in Iran. Twenty-five delegations out of 47 voted in favour of the initiative. Six countries opposed, including Armenia, China, and Cuba. Another 16 countries abstained.

The document was discussed at a special session of the UNHRC held in Geneva the day before. The resolution says the council will set up an independent mission to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Iran during the September 16 protests. The members of the mission will be appointed by the president of the UNHRC. The preliminary results of the investigations will be made public at the 53rd session of the UNHRC in the summer of 2023.

The session to discuss the situation in Iran was convened at the initiative of Germany and Iceland. Representatives of China, Cuba, Pakistan, Syria, and Venezuela criticized the idea during the meeting, calling it politicization and a manifestation of double standards, TASS reported.

Russia is not a member of the current UNHRC and therefore did not vote. Gennady Gatilov, Russia's permanent representative to the UN headquarters in Geneva, called the special session counterproductive and also called to stop interfering in Iran's internal affairs. "The authors of the initiative would be better advised to focus on their own human rights problems, which are more than enough", Gatilov said.

Protests in Iran have been sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the Iranian vice police for the allegedly inappropriate wearing of the hijab. Iranian security forces claim the girl died from a heart attack. Her relatives believe she died after the beating. More than 14,000 people have been detained, according to the latest figures. Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei claims the riots were planned by US and Israeli authorities.