UN Human Rights Council Will Hold Urgent Session on Iran’s Crackdown on Protests
The United Nations Human Rights Council said on Monday that it will hold an urgent meeting about Iran, called after eight weeks of anti-government protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, while in the custody of the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. The special session set for November 24 will address “the deteriorating human rights situation” in the Islamic Republic. Germany and Iceland submitted a request on behalf of 44 countries, including 17 countries that are members of the Human Rights Council, to hold the special session. It will be the first time a UNHRC meeting is convened on Iran, and is being held outside of the international body’s regular schedule. The draft resolution to be considered at the special session calls for a high-level international investigation into the alleged violations connected with the protests in Iran, that includes “the gender dimensions of such violations.” It calls for the investigators to present an oral update to the council during its regular June session next year, and a full report in March 2024.