U.N. Emergency Session to Address Iran's Alarming Protest Violence

The U.N. Human Rights Council will convene an emergency session to address the alarming violence against protesters in Iran, where at least 5,000 deaths have been verified. The session was proposed by Iceland's ambassador with backing from Germany and Britain, and is set to occur on Friday.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is preparing for an emergency session this Friday to tackle the escalating violence against protesters in Iran. The session comes in response to a document citing the alarming levels of violence by authorities, with a verified toll of at least 5,000 deaths.

The decision to hold an urgent meeting was outlined in a letter from Iceland's ambassador, Einar Gunnarsson, supported by Germany and Britain among other nations. The U.N. confirmed the meeting, acknowledging that 21 countries have endorsed the proposal so far.

Human Rights Watch has condemned the unlawful killings and seeks a continuation and expansion of a U.N. probe established in 2022. Iran has not yet responded to requests for commentary, although it has issued rebuttals claiming clashes arose from armed attacks on security forces.

(With inputs from agencies.)