Statement by National Security Advisor Tom Donilon on Special Rapporteur on Iran Human Rights

The United States welcomes the resolution adopted today by the United Nations Human Rights Council appointing a Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran.  The decision by the Council represents a historic milestone that reaffirms the global consensus and alarm about the dismal state of human rights in Iran. Iranian authorities are perpetrating a wide variety of abuses against a broad spectrum of Iranians, irrespective of age, gender, faith, or profession. The Special Rapporteur created by the Council provides the international community with a mandate to monitor and call attention to such abuses.  The Iranian Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens and allow its people’s voices to be heard.  The United States will continue to speak out on behalf of all those brave Iranians struggling for their universal rights.