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Iranwire – The UN Human Rights Council has started to review Iran’s human rights situation after the presentation of UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman’s report.
Representatives from Canada, Belgium, and the United States led the discussion on Monday, condemning human and women’s rights violations, suppression of protests, executions, and pressure on journalists.
The Islamic Republic objected to the American representative’s portrayal of the situation.
Meanwhile, some of Iran’s regional allies, including China, Russia, and North Korea, opposed the report’s findings, particularly regarding the systematic violation of human rights during women’s protests against mandatory hijab.
Mercedeh Shahinkar and Kowsar Eftekhari, victims of the Islamic Republic’s bloody crackdown on the 2022 nationwide protests, attended the Council meeting as witnesses. They expressed outrage at the defense offered by Iran’s allies.
“Their defense is an insult to us,” Shahinkar said. “We came here to defend human rights. Violations must be criticized regardless of location.”
Eftekhari added, “They prioritize political and economic interests over Iranian citizens’ oppression. They shouldn’t defend a government that commits crimes against humanity.”
Both victims emphasized the need for international support to hold the Iranian government accountable.
Rehman’s report received backing from numerous attending governments.
“We testified about the Islamic Republic’s crimes during the 2022 protests and prior crackdowns,” Shahinkar said. “We hope this report and the support for our testimonies will be fruitful. It might take time, but this process has begun.”
Eftekhari echoed this sentiment, highlighting Iran’s pre-emptive rejection of the report as “unverifiable, distorted, and political.”
“We stand here as living witnesses,” she said, “and the Islamic Republic cannot deny its crimes.”
