India abstains from UN vote to probe Iran's 'human rights violations'

ANI

Geneva (Switzerland), November 25

India on Thursday abstained from voting on a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution to set up a fact-finding mission to investigate the alleged human rights violation committed on protesters in Iran that started on September 16.

Taking to Twitter, United Nations Human Right Council said, “At its 35th special session, the @UN Human Rights Council decided to create a new fact-finding mission to investigate “alleged #HumanRightsViolations in the Islamic Republic of #Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022.” This resolution came amid the protests that started on September 16 after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was taken into custody by Iran’s morality police for wearing an ‘inappropriate’ headscarf, later died, drawing allegations of custodial violence.

Apart from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE and Khakhastan had also abstained from the resolution. Meanwhile, Pakistan and China rejected the resolution.

However, the resolution in the UNHRC was passed, with 25 votes in favour, six against and 16 abstentions, at a special session of the 47-member human rights body and now the Human Rights Council has created a fact-finding mission, related to the protests in Iran.

This follows calls from UN human rights chief Volker Turk for an independent investigation, UN News reported.

In the meeting, the UN High Commissioner highlighted how the security forces, “notably the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces have used live ammunition, birdshot and other metal pellets, teargas and batons” against the protest movement as it has spread to a reported 150 cities and 140 universities in all provinces of Iran.

Before calling for an independent probe into all alleged rights violations, the High Commissioner noted that his Office had received “multiple communications” from Iran about the episode, “including domestic investigations”. These efforts “have failed to meet international standards of impartiality, independence and transparency”, UN news quoted Turk as saying.

Responding to the High Commissioner’s comments, Iran’s representative, Khadijeh Karimi, Deputy of the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, insisted that “necessary measures” had been taken to seek justice by the Government, after Amini’s death. These included the formation of an independent, parliamentary investigation commission as well as a forensic medical team.

“However, before the formal announcement of the probe analysis, the biased and hasty reaction of a number of Western authorities and their interventions in internal affairs of Iran turned the peaceful assemblies into riots and violence,” she maintained.

Since Amini’s death following her arrest by Iran’s so-called Morality Police on September 13 for not wearing her hijab properly, more than 300 people have been killed in protests, including at least 40 children, according to the latest UN human rights office information.