UN Rights Resolution Against Iran Dismissed as Strategic Mistake

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced a western-backed resolution passed by the United Nations Human Rights Council against the Islamic Republic, describing the move as a “strategic mistake”. 
“It is a source of regret that the UNHRC has been abused once again for the short-term interests of a limited number of countries,” the ministry said in a statement, according to ISNA.  
It also said the resolution is a direct outcome of a few western countries’ use of “wrong information” to advance their anti-Iran agenda at international bodies. 
The UN council on Thursday condemned what it called Iran’s repression of peaceful demonstrators and voted to create a high-level investigation into the alleged crackdown.
With 25 votes in favor, six opposed and 16 countries abstaining, the UN’s highest rights body agreed to create an international fact-finding mission to probe the claimed violations. 
The vote came at the end of a special session requested by a group of UNHRC members led by Germany and Iceland to discuss the situation in Iran.
Speaking at the session, Iran’s Deputy Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Khadijeh Karimi said the “politically motivated move” by Germany on the situation of human rights in Iran is an “organized conspiracy” that pursues hidden goals and would not lead anywhere. 
The Foreign Ministry’s statement also said the move by Germany and other sponsors of the special session was “a historical mistake stemming from multi-dimensional political goals.” 
Those countries’ measure was taken based on miscalculations and under pressure from certain political lobbies and fake news in certain anti-Iranian media, according to the document. 
“They have made a strategic mistake and only time will tell how this political short-sightedness will end up to be against their interests,” the statement added.

Opportunistic Approach

Iranian cities have seen unrest following the death of a young girl, Mahsa Amini, in police custody which later developed into violent clashes between rioters and security forces. 
Iran blames the West for abusing the situation to provoke violence and orchestrate terrorist activities. 
The Foreign Ministry highlighted Iran’s responsible approach regarding the tragic death of the girl, noting that investigation committees were set up and made the results of their probe transparently available to the public.
Moreover, the Iranian Judiciary Human Rights Council sent numerous well-grounded documents to international human rights organizations both in Geneva and New York, as well as to all members of the international community, according to the statement. 
It also underlined that despite some protesters’ violent behavior and foreign organized provocations and interventions, as well as terrorist actions by armed groups, the security forces of the country exercised maximum restraint with the rioters and dozens of police officials and security guards were martyred and several thousands of these forces were injured along this line. 
Nevertheless, the sponsors of the resolution blamed Iranian security forces for measures that were conducted by terrorist and violent groups aimed at creating faked casualties, the ministry said. 
“The opportunistic approach and instrumental use of human rights by certain countries has polarized the UNHRC and escalated tensions,” the statement read, adding that this behavior will not only not improve human rights conditions, but will also make it a victim of political and hostile intentions of some countries against other members of the global community. 
Iran was against this session and deemed it “completely incompatible, abnormal and unnecessary;” therefore, it sees the meeting’s resolution as “completely rejected”, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Given the existence of investigation committees for the death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent developments, the creation of any new mechanism to review the issues of the past two months in Iran is “unnecessary and a violation of the country’s sovereignty” and the Islamic Republic would not recognize such probing mission, the statement said.