'Reflects Commitment To Justice': Iran Ambassador Thanks India For Support At UN Human Rights Council

New Delhi: Iran's Ambassador Dr Mohammad Fathali thanked India for extending its support to the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Saturday (January 24). This comes after the UN human rights body condemned Iran on Friday for rights abuses and mandated an investigation into a recent crackdown on anti-government protests that took thousands of lives.

Taking to the social media platform X, Iran's ambassador to India wrote, "I extend my sincere gratitude to the Govt. of India for its principled and firm support of I.R. of Iran at the UN_HRC, including opposing an unjust and politically motivated resolution."

The X post also contained a screenshot that depicted the votes of countries worldwide on Friday's session conducted by the UNHRC. "This stance reflects India’s commitment to justice, multilateralism, and national sovereignty," the post added.

Emergency session by the UN Human Rights Body

The emergency session was conducted by the UNHRC to reportedly address the “alarming violence” used in Iran against anti-regime protesters. During the session, the council passed a motion extending an independent enquiry into human rights abuses in Iran to urgently look into the allegedly violent crackdown by authorities on protesters.

"I call on the Iranian authorities to reconsider, to pull back, and to end their brutal repression," High Commissioner Volker Turk said, addressing the meeting in Geneva.

A former U.N. prosecutor of Iranian-Canadian nationality, Payam Akhavan, said, "This is the worst mass murder in the contemporary history of Iran."

Iran rejected accusations

However, Iran denied the accusations of human rights violations while exerting the power of the Khamenei-led Islamic Republic to independently conduct an investigation and examine the "root causes of recent events".

According to reports, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told the Council its emergency session was invalid. "The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognise the legitimacy or validity of this special session and its subsequent resolution," Bahreini said.

India voted against the motion

Twenty-five states, including France, Mexico and South Korea, voted in favour of the motion, while seven voted against it, and 14 abstained from voting at all. Among the ones opposing the motion were India and China.

The source of funds for this investigation and further proceedings regarding this is yet to be disclosed amid the ongoing UN funding crisis. 

(With agency inputs)

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