<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The United Nations' top rights body will hold an urgent meeting this week to consider launching an international </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">investigation into the deadly crackdown on mass protests rocking Iran.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The UN Human Rights Council is due to host a special session on Thursday on <span style="font-size: 1rem;">"the deteriorating human rights situation", following a request by Germany </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">and Iceland.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The meeting follows two months of protests in Iran sparked by the death of <span style="font-size: 1rem;">22-year-old Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested for an alleged breach of the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">country's strict dress rules for women based on Islamic sharia law.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">At least 378 people, including 47 children, have been killed in the crackdown <span style="font-size: 1rem;">since Amini's death, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">(IHR).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The demonstrations have spread across the country and grown into a broad <span style="font-size: 1rem;">movement against the theocracy that has ruled Iran since the fall of the shah </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">in 1979.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Thousands of peaceful protesters have also been arrested, according to UN <span style="font-size: 1rem;">rights experts, including many women, children and journalists, and six </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">people have so far been handed death sentences over the demonstrations.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Gender dimensions' -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">During Thursday's session, diplomats will consider a draft resolution <span style="font-size: 1rem;">presented by Germany and Iceland calling on the council to create a high- </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">level international investigation to probe all alleged violations connected </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">with the ongoing protests in Iran.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The so-called independent international fact-finding mission should include <span style="font-size: 1rem;">"the gender dimensions of such violations" in its investigations, according </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">to the text.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The draft resolution, which could still change, calls for the investigators <span style="font-size: 1rem;">to "collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations, and to </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">preserve evidence," with a view to future prosecution.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who will be present for the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">session, stressed recently on Twitter that such an investigation is vital </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">because we "know how important it is for the victims that those responsible </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">are held accountable."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The draft text called on Tehran to "cooperate fully" with the investigators, <span style="font-size: 1rem;">who it said should present a full report in March 2024.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rights groups hailed the special session.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"We're seeing such serious abuses in response to the protests," Lucy McKernan <span style="font-size: 1rem;">of Human Rights Watch told AFP.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"It is incumbent on the council to react," she said, voicing hope that <span style="font-size: 1rem;">countries would back the investigation, "so that at least in the future there </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">is a chance of accountability".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The support of 16 of the Human Rights Council's 47 members -- more than a <span style="font-size: 1rem;">third -- is required to convene a special session.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Germany and Iceland have so far received the backing of 50 countries for <span style="font-size: 1rem;">their request for Thursday's session, including 17 council members.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>- Enough votes? -</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">But just days before the event, it remained unclear if they will muster the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">votes needed to pass their resolution.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The Human Rights Council has seen growing push-back from countries including <span style="font-size: 1rem;">China, Russia and Iran against often Western-led efforts to hold individual </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">countries to account for alleged violations.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Last month Western countries and their allies suffered a crushing defeat in <span style="font-size: 1rem;">the council when their attempt to simply get the issue of China's alleged </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">widespread abuses in its Xinjiang region on the agenda was thwarted.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Iran may have a harder time blocking Thursday's resolution.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">It does not hold the same sway over many of the council members as Beijing <span style="font-size: 1rem;">does.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">And while China has never even featured on the council's agenda, the body <span style="font-size: 1rem;">appointed a so-called special rapporteur on Iran as far back as 2011, and has </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">voted each year since then to renew that mandate.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Thursday's meeting will also provide a first opportunity for the new UN <span style="font-size: 1rem;">rights chief Volker Turk to speak before the council.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">He is due to open the session at 0900 GMT, followed by statements by the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">special rapporteur and likely representatives of Iranian civil society. AFP</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>