By Mojtaba Koohsari*
On March 1, 2022, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council. Among other things, he said, and I quote verbatim, “One can reasonably ask whether a UN member state that tries to take over another UN member state – while committing horrific human rights abuses and causing massive humanitarian suffering – should be allowed to remain on this council.”
Mr. Secretary! I know a 26-year-old Afghan man named Etebar (literally, ‘credibility’), who works and lives in Isfahan, Iran, as an undocumented immigrant. His uncle’s whole family, his grandfather, and one of his sisters were killed in a drone attack by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in the illegal war that your country waged on his people. That ‘incident’, the term which American media tend to use, caused “massive humanitarian suffering” to Etebar and his family.
I also know a 22-year-old Iraqi woman named Ayat (literally, ‘evidence’), who lives in Tehran with her Iranian husband. Her cousin twice removed was detained on false charges and sent to Abu Ghraib prison, which, if you recall, was run by American forces. He was released after two mere months which, for him, lasted like forever, due to reasons of which you shouldn’t be entirely ignorant. To jog your memory, he experienced “horrific human rights abuses” therein.
Mr. Secretary! Etebar’s uncle and Ayat’s cousin would like to make a joint statement, reasonably asking if your country should be allowed to remain on the UN Human Rights Council.
*Mojtaba Koohsari is a political analyst based in Isfahan.
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