UN condemns rights abuses in Syria, Iran, NKorea

December 21, 2012 - The United Nations General Assembly is condemning human rights violations in Syria, Iran and North Korea and demanding an immediate halt to actions ranging from attacks on civilians to torture and restrictions on freedom of movement. The 193-member world body voted 135-12 with 36 abstentions Thursday for a resolution demanding an immediate end to ``widespread and systematic'' gross human rights violations by Syrian authorities. It approved a resolution calling for an end to Iran's continuing use of torture, the death penalty and execution of minors by a vote of 86-32 with 65 abstentions.
For the first time, the assembly approved a resolution targeting human rights violations in North Korea by consensus. It expressed serious concern at the North's ``systematic, widespread and grave violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.''