UN panel condemns Iran's crackdown on protesters

Nov 20, 2009, 19:53 GMT

New York - The UN General Assembly's human rights committee on Friday condemned Iran's violent crackdown on the crowd that protested alleged fraud during the June presidential elections.

The committee voted 74-48 to condemn human rights violations, harassment, intimidation and persecution of Iranians who protested against alleged election fraud. A total of 59 countries abstained.

It condemned 'forced confessions and abuse of prisoners including rape and torture.'

The resolution said human rights violations included 'arbitrary arrest, detention or disappearance of opposition members, journalists and other media representatives, bloggers, lawyers, clerics, human rights defenders, academics and students.'

The resolution said the violent government crackdown on protesters resulted in 'numerous deaths and injuries.'

The Iranian UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee strongly protested the resolution and the vote, saying that the move by the committee created confrontation and polarization in debate before the UN.The resolution was drafted by the Canadian government.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second term despite large protests, joined by opposition leaders, that shook the country's religious establishment.

Khazaee criticized Canada's policy toward its own indigenous people, saying that they were 'deprived of their liberty' because of 'police brutality, forced disappearances and murder.'

'Indigenous women and girls continue to suffer from systematic discrimination and violence' in Canada, the Iranian diplomat said.

The UN human rights committee, known as the third committee, each year adopts resolutions dealing with situations in several countries that have had records of human rights violations. Those countries in the past included Myanmar and North Korea.