Iran, one of the top human rights abusers in the world, has been awarded a seat on a key United Nations committee that oversees complaints about the global abuse of women.
An announcement by the U.N. on Wednesday said that Iran and Nigeria, another country that is no stranger to human rights abuses, would be promoted to the international organization’s Committee on the Status of Women, which oversees abuses committed by oppressive states, such as Iran and Nigeria.
Foreign policy observers on Twitter were quick to condemn the decision and bemoaning the U.S. taxpayer dollars that are used to fund such committees.
No joke: the Islamic Republic of #Iran was just appointed to the @UN_Women's rights committee that judges complaints of women's rights violations.
Yes, a day after the regime sentenced women's rights lawyer Nasrin Sotudeh to 38 years prison & 148 lashes. https://t.co/PPe20erKgV pic.twitter.com/c6bebPqy8j
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 13, 2019
The UN has become a very sick and sad joke. Largely on the dime of American taxpayers. https://t.co/ujrLzIJJmi
— Clifford D. May (@CliffordDMay) March 13, 2019
Iran continues to be one of the globe's foremost human rights abuser, routinely imprisoning opposition leaders and those the strict Islamic state views as opposing modesty codes.