Iran’s appointment as chair of a United Nations human rights forum has sparked widespread criticism due to the country’s long history of human rights violations and terrorism.

The U.S. has expressed its strong disapproval of the decision, with the U.S. representative to the Human Rights Council Ambassador Michele Taylor stating that it is unacceptable for a nation with such a record of human rights abuses to chair a body associated with the promotion and protection of human rights.

The Human Rights Council appointed Iranian Ambassador Ali Bahreini as the chair for the 2023 “Social Forum,” which is focused on the promotion of human rights. This decision was announced shortly after Iran executed two men for using social media to criticize religion.

The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, defended the decision, stating that it was the result of votes taken by member states and that Guterres expects all member states to uphold the commitments they made when signing up to the Universal Declaration.

The appointment comes at a time when Iran has been facing nationwide protests following the death of a young woman allegedly beaten by the country’s morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly. Another young woman died after a month-long coma following a similar incident.

The U.N. has recently been under scrutiny for allowing Iran’s foreign minister to visit New York City and speak before the General Assembly, despite Iran’s links to numerous terror groups throughout the Middle East.

The Social Forum is taking place at a contentious time for the U.N., with nations using the forum to criticize Israel for its response to a recent Hamas terrorist attack, without condemning Hamas and the attack itself.

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