UN panel condemns Iran

The UN General Assembly's human rights committee condemned Iran yesterday for a violent crackdown on protesters after presidential elections this year that the Iranian opposition says were rigged.

Tehran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee sharply criticised the Canadian-drafted resolution, saying assembly decisions of this kind have "created an atmosphere of confrontation and polarization."

The 192-nation assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on human rights, approved the nonbinding resolution 74-48, with 59 abstentions. The committee adopted similar resolutions condemning North Korea and Myanmar by much wider margins on Thursday.

The Iran resolution "expresses its deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations."