Statement by Andrew Sigley, First Secretary Human Rights at the
UN Third Committee meeting on Iran.
"The United Kingdom extends its appreciation to Canada for its
continued leadership on this important resolution.
Iran's use of the death penalty is not only an affront to human
dignity - it is a political tool to incite fear and suppress
dissent. Ethnic minorities continued to be disproportionately
affected. This past year, we saw the
12th Woman Life Freedom protester executed – many more
protesters and human rights defenders remain on death row. We
continue to call on Iran to establish an immediate moratorium on
executions.
The situation for women and girls remains deeply concerning. The
authorities continue to bolster their surveillance capabilities
to monitor and target women and girls, including human rights
defenders, online and in their daily lives. The Iranian
government is yet to effectively criminalise sexual and
gender-based violence and to ensure equal access to justice for
women and girls.
We remain deeply concerned by Iran's repression of Freedom of
Religion or Belief. During and since the 12-day war,
state-linked media intensified scapegoating and incitement toward
religious minorities, in particular Baha'is and Christians. We
stand with these communities' right to practice their faiths
freely and without state interference.
Iran continues to target civil society beyond its borders. This
activity seeks to silence journalists, activists and others
responsible for documenting serious human rights violations. We
are committed to working with international partners to combat
this malign activity."
