United Nations expert to investigate human rights abuses in Iran by going to Sweden, Austria, and Italy

The UN expert on human rights abuses in Iran has announced that he is going to investigate human rights abuses in Iran by going to three countries none of which is Iran. That's because the Iranian government will not let him into the country. In fact, no UN Special Rapporteur on human rights abuses in Iran has been admitted into Iran since 1996.

On May 26, 2014 UN rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed, issued a press release stating that he will "undertake his latest fact-finding mission in Sweden, Austria, and Italy."

Perhaps in a last ditch effort to obtain an invitation, Shaheed also praised Iran for its "recent progress." He said: "I am encouraged by recent conversations, statements, and overtures by Iranian officials...The mission, therefore, will provide an opportunity to accurately evaluate and analyze recent progress.

Shaheed also pointed to a forthcoming review of Iran's human rights record by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, called a Universal Periodic Review (UPR). He called the UPR "a potential major opportunity" to evaluate Iran's human rights situation.

On the contrary, the UPR is a UN procedure in which the worst violators of human rights are commended and rights abusers present themselves as human rights champions. In addition, the final product of each UPR is a report which contains no findings, no conclusions, and no decisions to take action on any of the world's appalling human rights situations.