December 12, 2014
Iran is seeking to become an officer of a United Nations committee that decides what human rights groups have access to the UN, a move Israel compared to gangster Al Capone running the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Iran was elected to the 19-member committee in April for a four-year term starting in January. The United States and Israel are also members of the committee, which acts as a kind of gatekeeper for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seeking access to UN headquarters to lobby and participate in meetings and other events.
The Islamic Republic could use its position as a committee officer to try to lock out human rights groups that are critical of Tehran.
In a letter obtained by Reuters, Iran announced its candidacy for vice-chair of the committee, which will begin meeting in late January.
Israel was vocally displeased by the idea. “Imagine if Iran ran this committee in the same way it runs its country—human rights activists would be detained, journalists would be tortured, and anyone with a social media account would find himself arrested on fabricated charges,” Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor told Reuters.
The committee decides which NGOs will be accredited at the United Nations. Conservative developing nations worked to block accreditation of an international gay-lesbian NGO several years ago and the issue was taken to the General Assembly, which voted to accredit the group.
Late last month, a UN General Assembly committee adopted a resolution condemning Iran’s human rights record, so there may be opposition to Iran’s bid to be the committee vice chair.
