UN rights body continues debate on human rights situations – Iran

               
                                              Human Rights Council

20 June 2014 
The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its general debate on human rights situations requiring the Council’s attention. 
In the general debate, speakers raised allegations of human rights violations in countries and regions around the world and reiterated the Council’s responsibility to address all situations of concern.
The following delegations took the floor in the general debate: Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Russia on behalf of a group of States, Belgium on behalf of a group of States, Japan, Iraq, Georgia, Netherlands, Belgium, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Canada, Spain, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Speaking in right of reply were Morocco, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkmenistan, Algeria and Qatar. 
The general debate on human rights situations that require the attention of the Council started on 19 June and a summary of the first part can be seen
here.
The Human Rights Council will resume its work on Monday, 23 June, at 9 a.m., to continue its general debate on human rights situation requiring the Council’s attention. It will then hear presentations of the reports of the Advisory Committee, the Social Forum, the Forum on Human Rights and Business and the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants, followed by a general debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms.
Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention
Iran, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, reaffirmed the need to defend the principles of non-selectivity, non-politicization, and impartiality in the consideration of human rights situations in the Council, as well as to ensure that human rights were not used for political purposes. The Non-Aligned Movement expressed its deep concern over the continuation and proliferation of the practice of selective adoption of country-specific resolutions in the Human Rights Council, which exploited human rights for political purposes. 
Canada said the people of Iran still lacked the most basic freedoms and protection, and promises had not been fulfilled, leaving Iranians disappointed and disillusioned. 
Political prisoners were beaten, lawyers imprisoned, and there was also a continued excessive application of the death penalty. 
Canada was profoundly troubled by systematic and ongoing violations of human rights and would continue to hold Iran accountable for these egregious human rights violations.