Diplomats say Iran has dropped its bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Javed Faizal, a member of Maldives’ U.N. Mission, said Friday that Iran announced its decision at a meeting of the Asia group, which was preparing its slate of candidates for next month’s vote on new rights council members.
Iran was heavily criticized in February at the 47-member council’s first review over its handling of human rights. Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, praised Iran’s decision to withdraw as a “good thing.” The Iranian mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This week, 12 prominent Iranian human rights activists had written an open letter declaring that “the election of Iran to the Human Rights Council would seriously jeopardize the legitimacy of the Human Rights Council, and undermine the efforts of Iranian human rights defenders. It would belittle the sacrifices of those who have given their lives for the cause of human rights.”

sources: AP – www.enduringamerica.com