UNHRC: Human rights situation in Iran 'bleak'

The human rights situation in Iran is characterized by "the most egregious violations and continued impunity," a United Nations special rapporteur said Tuesday.

Javaid Rehman, the UN's special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, made the remarks as he presented a report to the global body's Human Rights Council.

Rehman said failures in Iran's response to the pandemic had "worsened its impact," leaving more than 60,000 people dead - the highest death toll in the Middle East.

He also condemned the government for the detention of journalists, civil society workers and women's rights campaigners.

The special rapporteur called for sanctions against the country to be eased in order to facilitate the arrival of badly needed medical equipment, but maintained that Iran had failed to uphold basic human rights.

In response, Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh slammed the debate as a "platform to launch a rhetorical campaign against Iran, under the guise of human rights."

He described it as a "one-sided and accusatory disputation in which the sponsors set the terms of reference to arrive, uncontested, on the conclusions they pre-ordained."