UN Special Rapporteur Urges Iran To Address Rights Violations

A United Nations human rights envoy has urged Tehran to address human rights issues highlighted in a UN report.

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN's special rapporteur on Iran, said the report and its recommendations were aimed at helping to improve the human rights situation in the country.

Shaheed told RFE/RL that the sooner Tehran "begins to see these reports are designed to help the government and the people, the sooner they begin to address the challenges the country faces."

Iran has dismissed the report, saying it's based on Western norms and fails to take Iran's Islamic culture into consideration.

Tehran in June urged the UN to review the report.

The March 13 report highlighted a rise in executions, pressure on minorities, and the lack of independence of Iran's judiciary.

For his report, Shaheed interviewed more than 100 rights defenders, lawyers, and members of ethnic and religious minorities inside and outside of Iran.