November 15, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement welcoming today's adoption of the resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran in the UN General Assembly's Third Committee, during the assembly's 73rd session:

"The adoption of this UN resolution by countries from every region of the world sends a strong message to the Iranian regime that it must respect human rights.

"It also voices the support of Canada and the international community for the people of Iran in their struggle to enjoy the rights and freedoms to which they are entitled.

"Canada urges the Iranian regime to address the grave human rights concerns raised in this resolution."

Quick facts

• Introduced by Canada and 43 co-sponsors, this year's resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on November 15, 2018, with 85 member states voting in favour.
• The resolution will also be presented for adoption by the UN General Assembly in plenary in mid-December.
• Reports by the UN Secretary-General and the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran reveal that the human rights situation has worsened in the past year, with a systematic crackdown on protestors, journalists and social media users that followed increasingly widespread protests.
• The use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders has continued at an alarming rate. There have also been reports of torture; arbitrary arrests and detention; trials that fail to adhere to due process standards; restrictions on freedom of expression, both online and offline; and intimidation of human rights defenders, showing that Iran has failed to adhere to international rights standards.
• Discrimination against women and girls, members of recognized and unrecognized religious minorities and of other marginalized and vulnerable groups remains persistent.