The CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging the United States to mobilize the international community to convene a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council to address Iran’s violent crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Over 200 Iranians have been killed by security forces while protesting the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police on September 16.
AJC CEO Ted Deutch reminded Biden in the letter that in September the president addressed the UN General Assembly where he said that the US stood with the Iranian protesters as they advocate for their rights, and mentioned that the Administration had taken other steps, including sanctioning the “morality police” and aiding the protesters’ access to communications technology.
Deutch wrote that Biden has also declared to the UN General Assembly, “We applaud you for these actions and call on you to ensure that the response of the international community to Iran’s egregious actions is similarly robust.”
AJC called on the Biden administration to lead on the issue by assembling the 16 out of 47 member states needed to convene a special session of the Council to discuss the human rights violations of the Iranian regime.
“The US should ensure that the Council adopts a resolution at the Special Session creating a new independent international mechanism on Iran to investigate, report publicly, and ensure accountability for extensive human rights violations by the Islamic Republic and strengthen the capacity of the existing Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran,” the AJC said.
“Investigating the regime’s abuses should include the reported arbitrary detention and torture in custody of as many as 1,000 people, including at least 90 human rights defenders since the protests began, and more longstanding rights concerns such as Iran's escalating persecution of religious minority communities including the Baha'i, both inside the country and in other countries,” the AJC letter stated.
Mobilizing US partners and allies “would be an important and necessary first step demonstrating clearly the impact of US participation in and membership on the Human Rights Council,” Deutch wrote.