Sri Lanka was among the thirty nations that voted against a UN resolution that expressed serious concerns about the human rights situation in Iran at the UN General Assembly this week.Along with Sri Lanka, fellow South Asian countries India and Pakistan voted against the resolution titled “Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran”, while Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives abstained from voting.
The resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 78 in favour, 30 against, with 68 abstentions by the Assembly.The Assembly condemned the targeted repression of women and girls by Iran, both online and offline, and strongly urged Iran to eliminate all forms of systemic discrimination and harassment as well as related human rights violations in public and private life against women and girls.
The Assembly also called on the Iranian government to release unjustly detained human rights defenders and protesters, as well as journalists and lawyers who defend or seek to defend those persons, according to the UN resolution text, which expressed concern at the bill proposed by the government on the use of firearms during protests and called for its withdrawal.
