Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution criticizing Iran for serious rights violations including torture and its "alarming" and frequent use of the death penalty.
The vote Wednesday was 86 to 36, with 61 countries abstaining.
The resolution also welcomes pledges by Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, on some important human rights issues such as eliminating discrimination against women and members of ethnic minorities.
But it criticizes Iran's use of "inhuman" punishments, including flogging and amputations, and its use of the death penalty against young people under age 18.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
