Iran Rejects UN Fact-Finding Mission

The spokesman of Iran’s foreign ministry says the country does not recognize the fact-finding mission mandated by the UN over Iran's human rights violations.

Nasser Kanaani said Monday that the move by western countries is an example of “politicizing human rights and instrumentalizing UN human rights mechanisms.”

He said: “Those governments that provoked the unrest in Iran have formed this illegal committee, and are themselves now facing the similar situation, repressing the demonstrators inside their countries. These states are launching such mechanisms but we do not accept double standards."

While during the nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic, more than 500 people were killed by the security forces, the Iranian regime has not yet filed a case to follow up on the massacre.

So far, several protesters have been executed on accusations of being involved in the killing of several government officials after trials that were condemned by the international community.

The fact-finding mission mandated by the UN urged Iran on Wednesday to stop executing people sentenced to death for anti-government protests that rocked the country last year.

"We call on the Iranian authorities to stop the executions of individuals convicted and sentenced to death in connection with the protests and reiterate our requests to make available to us the judicial files, evidence, and judgments regarding each of these persons," Sara Hossain, chair of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The mission also called for the "release of all those detained for exercising their legitimate right to peaceful assembly and for reporting on the protests".