United Nations, US Congress Condemn Iran for Human Rights Violations

In the days leading up to the nuclear negotiation deadline on November 24th, both the U.S. Congress and the United Nations are taking a firm stance against Iran’s violation of human rights.

As the Washington Free Beacon reports:

The United Nations late Tuesday voted to condemn Iranian human rights abuses and single it out for executing upwards of 1,000 political opponents and prisoners in the past year.

The measure, originally drafted by Canada, garnered the support of 78 nations on the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee, with 35 nations voting against and 69 abstaining from the vote.

In addition to condemning the sharp rise in executions in Iran, which are said to top 1,000 in the past year, the U.N. resolution labeled Iran’s human rights infractions as systemic and “alarming.”

It also reports:

The [U.S.] House [of Representatives] on Wednesday passed a resolution to condemn Iran’s human rights violations.

“The Iranian government’s widespread—and well-documented—violations of the basic human rights of its citizens is nothing short of horrific,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), following passage of the resolution. “Iranian women are subject to despicable attacks condoned, and even supported by, its rulers. Executions are on the rise under President Rouhani, most recently claiming the life of a woman who killed her assailant in the course of a sexual assault. And religious minorities and political activists continue be subject to abuse and detention to, despite civil liberty protections enshrined in numerous international treaties and covenants.”

While neither resolution specifically mentions American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is wrongfully imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith, they do highlight the horrific abuse of human rights being perpetrated by Iran at a critical time for Pastor Saeed.

As the world continues watching Iran, the Obama Administration must use this opportunity to demand Pastor Saeed’s release.

These resolutions from both the U.S. Congress and the U.N. do show that the voices of the hundreds of thousands of people from around the world who have been crying out for Pastor Saeed’s freedom are being heard.