|
Reuters
 OTTAWA - Canada will put forward a resolution at the United Nations
for the third year in a row accusing Iran of human rights violations,
Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew said on Wednesday.
"Iran
has not lived up to its international human rights obligations and has not
conformed with past U.N. resolutions on this matter. We believe this must
change," Pettigrew said.
Canada presented similar resolutions to the United Nations in both 2003 and
2004. The U.N.'s General Assembly adopted the 2004 resolution with 71 votes
in favor, 54 against and 55 abstentions.
The previous resolutions accused Iran of human rights abuses, including
torture, suppression of free speech and discrimination against women and
minorities.
"We have to maintain the pressure. I can tell you one thing -- Iran
has not enjoyed the last two resolutions we tabled," Pettigrew told
reporters.
"It is very important that the international community ... keeps the
pressure on Iran at this stage for them to really, really acknowledge the
situation of human rights abuses in the country and really try to change
the situation."
Pettigrew said Canada was still discussing with its allies the text of the
resolution, which officials said was likely to be presented at the end of
October.
Canada and Iran are at loggerheads over the case of Zahra Kazemi, a
Canadian reporter who died of head injuries in 2003 after being arrested in
Tehran. Canada has twice withdrawn its ambassador over the affair and
accuses Iranian authorities of failing to investigate the death properly.
Iran's conservative judiciary initially said Kazemi had died of a stroke
but an investigation by the government revealed she had received a heavy
blow during questioning which caused a brain hemorrhage.
|