The Iranian demonstrators do not have a seat on the Human Rights Council in Geneva and they do not have their own voice in the United Nations. That is why we, along with Iceland and 50 other partners, have convened today’s special session on Iran. Today the UN Human Rights Council can raise its voice in support of the indivisible rights of people in Iran. Today the members of the Human Rights Council can take a stand against the injustice, the blows and the bullets which the Iranian regime is using to try and stamp out peaceful protest.

For more than two months now, we have been forced to witness day after day Iranians being subjected to brutal violence and arbitrary actions by the state. We have respect for the women, men and children who are raising their voices. We stand firmly behind those demanding their rights with courage and dignity. Hundreds of them are being killed, thousands arrested and millions oppressed just for making these demands.

Time and again, Iran has refused to allow the UN Special Rapporteur to enter the country. Today the states on the Human Rights Council will vote on an independent mechanism to investigate and deal with these human rights violations so that those responsible can be held to account. We owe that to the victims.

Each and every vote for the Resolution counts. Our message is this: we are not just simply observing. We are going to where we can use our voices to do something for the rights of Iranian women and men.