The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, censuring the grave and systematic violation of human rights in Iran. The 67th resolution by the highest UN body was adopted by 82 affirmative votes.
The UN General Assembly resolution expresses serious concern “at the alarmingly high frequency of the imposition and carrying-out of the death penalty, [….] in violation of its international obligations, including executions undertaken against persons on the basis of forced confessions or for crimes that do not qualify as the most serious crimes, including crimes that are overly broad or vaguely defined, in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [….] the continued imposition of the death penalty against minors [….] in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
It called on the clerical regime to “release persons detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including those who have been detained solely for taking part in peaceful protests, including the nationwide protests of November 2019 and January 2020, to uphold the human rights of those involved in peaceful protests, to consider rescinding unduly harsh sentences, including those involving the death penalty and long-term internal exile, and to end reprisals against human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and their families, journalists and media workers covering the protests, and individuals who cooperate or attempt to cooperate with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.”
It also called on the regime “to address the poor conditions of prisons, recognizing the particular risks for prisoners in the context of COVID-19… to end the practice of deliberately denying prisoners access to adequate medical treatment and supplies, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, or making such access contingent upon confession.”
The UN General Assembly resolution called on the Iranian regime “to launch a comprehensive accountability process in response to all cases of serious human rights violations, including allegations of excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against peaceful protesters and political prisoners, failure to respect fair trial guarantees, and the use of torture to extract confessions, such as in the case of Navid Afkari and others, and cases of suspicious deaths in custody, as well as long-standing violations involving the Iranian judiciary and security agencies, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions,” and called on the regime “to end impunity for such violations.”
