Saturday, November 19 2005 15:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Europe: A UN committee has passed a resolution - opposed by India - expressing "serious concern" over Iran's human rights record, accusing it of practicing torture, discriminating against ethnic minorities and women and intimidating political opponents.

India voted with members who opposed the Canadian-sponsored draft in the UN General Assembly committee dealing with human rights issue, but it was carried by 77 votes to 51 with 46 abstentions.

The vote on the resolution which also called on Iran to end the alleged abuses now goes to the General Assembly. It came after Iran failed to block it, using a procedural ploy. Iran asked the Committee to defer the discussion, charging Canada with spreading disinformation. Tehran lost narrowly with 73 members supporting it, 77 opposing and 23 abstaining.

During the debate, several developing countries cautioned that singling out Iran would not help, especially as the human rights record of rich western nations is not questioned. It would only strengthen Tehran's stance.

Canada rejected the suggestion that the resolution is "frivolous" and said while it is aware of concern over country-specific resolutions, there are specific situations seeking attention. When governments themselves are involved in human rights abuses, it was important to speak out. The resolution expressed "serious concern at continuing use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" of detainees as well as "public executions, violations of human rights of ethnic and religious minorities and intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders.

The resolution called on the Iranian government to ensure full respect for the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion and expression, and end the persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders. It also urged Iran to ensure full respect for the right to due process, as well as equality before the law, and to eliminate the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman punishments, end impunity for violations of human rights, abolish public executions, particularly those who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offence, and eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women and minorities.

In a statement, the Iranian representative said a "dangerous, normative and structural" tendency to pursue a political agenda disguised as concern for human rights has evolved within the United Nations.

The majority, she said, feels that all Governments were equally accountable for the failure to safeguard human rights in an objective, non-selective manner. But the minority wants that the developed countries should not be subjected to international monitoring.

"Politicization of human rights is at the heart of the West's human rights policy," she said, alleging that Canada wants to further its own political agenda. The resolution is a response to a bilateral legal dispute between Iran and Canada, and part of Canada 's international "disinformation" campaign against Iran, she charged and asserted that Iran would never submit to political pressure.