UN panel accuses Iran of extensive rights abuses

Reuters:

A U.N. General Assembly committee narrowly approved on Friday a resolution expressing serious concern over a long list of human rights abuses in Iran after turning back a delaying tactic by Tehran.

The assembly's social and humanitarian committee voted 77 to 51, with 46 abstentions, to call on Iran to fully respect its people's right to freedom of assembly and speech and to end harassment and persecution of opposition groups and rights activists.

"The use of torture or the execution of children, the denial of freedom of expression, the targeting of women and specific religious groups -- all of these things are continuing and in some instances worsening" in Iran, said Canadian Ambassador Allan Rock, whose government submitted the resolution. READ MORE

Opponents of the measure argued that resolutions targeting individual nations politicized the human rights issue and showed a double standard on the part of wealthy nations.

Approving it sent a message "that the United Nations is studying human rights situations in developing countries but is closing its eyes to development of human rights in strong industrial countries," said Sudanese envoy Idress Said.

Finally, the world is beginning to pay attention to the struggle of the Iranian people for the same freedoms those of us in the west take for granted.