UNITED NATIONS: The United States will next week put the United Nations spotlight on protests in Iran sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody and look for ways to promote credible, independent investigations into Iranian human rights abuses.

The United States and Albania will hold an informal UN Security Council gathering on Wednesday, according to a note outlining the event, seen by Reuters. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi are set to brief.

“The meeting will highlight the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran,” the note said. “It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government’s human rights violations and abuses.”

Independent UN investigator on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other UN member states and rights groups.

Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody last month. On Saturday, Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami warned the protesters, “Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots.”

The intelligence ministry of Iran and the Guards’ intelligence services, in a joint statement on Friday, said the CIA had been conspiring with spy agencies in Israel, Britain and Saudi Arabia “to spark riots” in Iran and set up networks of “accomplices” among other acts.

Iran’s mission to the UN in New York accused the US and its allies of abusing their platform “to further their political agenda”. “Given its hypocrisy, use of a double standard, and selective application of human rights, we find the US claims to support Iranian women to be deceptive and lacking in good faith,” it said.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric urged the Iranian authorities to address the “legitimate grievances of the population, including with respect to women’s rights.” “We condemn all incidents that have resulted in death or serious injury to protestors and reiterate that security forces must avoid all unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protestors,” Dujarric told reporters. “Those responsible must be held to account,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022