United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday urged the United States to promptly conclude its investigation into a strike on an elementary school in Iran and make the findings public, stressing that “there must be justice for the terrible harm done.”
Turk delivered the remarks via video message during an urgent debate at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, noting that the bombing had evoked “visceral horror.”
“In the case of this school, the onus is on those who carried out the attack to investigate it promptly, impartially, transparently and thoroughly, to determine the facts and lay the basis for accountability,” Turk said. He emphasized that differences between countries will not be solved by “killing schoolchildren.”
The UN rights chief further highlighted that attacks by the United States and Israel have increasingly targeted densely populated residential areas in Iran and destroyed civilian infrastructure, calling strikes on nuclear facilities “reckless beyond comprehension.”
He urged the United States and Israel to end their attacks against Iran, and called on all parties to exercise restraint and return to negotiations.