A United Nations panel rebuked Myanmar, Iran and North Korea on Tuesday for human rights abuses, overcoming objections by developing nations that the move amounted to "demonization" of some states.The resolution on North Korea expressing concern about systematic and widespread rights violations won the strongest support in the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee, passing by 97-23, with 60 abstentions.
Another resolution strongly condemning the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was passed by 88-24, with 66 abstentions, in what Britain said was "a declaration of support for the Burmese people's desire for change."
A third vote expressing deep concern at rights violations in Iran was passed by 72-50, with 55 abstentions.
The non-binding resolutions will be sent to the 192-member General Assembly, which generally votes in the same way as the committee.
The representative from Uganda was among several members of the Non-Aligned Movement, which groups 115 mostly developing nations, who argued against singling out some states. He said such issues were best left to the U.N.'s Human Rights Council and should be addressed through dialogue rather than what he called the "demonization" of some countries.
Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee condemned the resolutions as "manipulation and abuse of the United Nations human rights mechanism," and slammed Canada, which introduced the resolution on Iran, over its own rights record.