GENEVA: The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Thursday prolonged by a year an independent international fact-finding mission investigating Iran’s crackdown on protests that erupted in 2022. The council also prolonged the mandate of its special rapporteur on Iran, Javaid Rehman, by a year.
The decision, made with 24 votes in favor, eight against, and 15 abstentions in the 47-member chamber. The extension of Rehman’s mandate was deemed necessary to continue monitoring the ongoing situation of human rights in the country.
The fact-finding mission was also extended to allow it to complete its work, specifically to fully document, verify, consolidate, and preserve evidences of human rights violations relating to the protests, particularly concerning women and children.
The protests in Iran were sparked by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died in September 2022 after being arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women under Islamic sharia law.
Despite repeated calls for cooperation, Iran has refused to engage with the fact-finding mission, denying them access to the country. The resolution passed by the Human Rights Council urged Iran to fully cooperate with international investigators.
The resolution received support from countries including Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Japan, Morocco, and the United States. Conversely, countries such as Algeria, Burundi, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Indonesia, Sudan, and Vietnam voted against the resolution. Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Qatar, and South Africa abstained from voting.
