UNBELIEVABLE: Iran gets seat on UN human rights committees

In what can only be a cruel joke, Iran, one of the worst violators of human rights, has been appointed to five subcommittees of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to a UN press release, Iran will serve on the Commissions on Population and Development, Science and Technology for Development, the Committee for Programme Coordination and on Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Pray for those trapped in a regime of terror.

The United States instantly criticized the appointment. US Ambassador Samantha Powers said  that "the unopposed candidacy of Iran, where authorities regularly detain human rights defenders, subjecting many to torture, abuse, and violations of due process, is particularly troubling outcome of today's election."

An advocacy group that monitors the work of the UN, UN Watch, issued a statement that Iran's election was outrageous. "Today is a black day for human rights," said Hillel Neuer, the executive director of the organization. "By empowering the perpetrators over the victims, the UN harms the cause of human rights, betrays its founding principles, and undermines its own credibility."

Iran's inhumane treatment towards their own citizens has been remarked upon numerous times by human rights organizations, other nations, and the UN itself. A report filed in March by the UN criticized the government for imprisoning women's rights activists, relegating women to an outsider's status in politics, and introducing laws that allow for discrimination based on gender and promote violence against women.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations and the Commission on the Status of Women are just the most blatant violations. Iran has long relegated its female citizens to a second class, and has violently cracked down on any organization that does not toe the government's line.

While there are no signs that Iran's seats will be overturned, it is clear that the US will continue to fight against the violator of human rights.

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