UN committee scolds Iran on human rights record; Iran calls it ‘distortion of facts’

The U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee has approved a resolution expressing deep concern about rights violations in Iran.

Seventy-six countries voted in favour of the resolution, including the United States. Thirty-five states voted against it, and 68 abstained.

The non-binding resolution drafted by Canada now goes to the General Assembly for consideration.

Iran’s deputy ambassador told the committee Thursday that the resolution represents “a selective and politicized distortion of facts.” Hossein Dehghani said the vote comes at a time when the recent Iran nuclear deal “opens a new horizon for co-operation” with the international community on other issues.

The resolution is based on a report by a U.N. investigator who says executions in Iran have been rising at “an exponential rate” since 2005 and could top 1,000 this year.