UK urges inquiry into Iran election violence

The demand came during the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council's first review of Iran's rights record since the body was founded in 2006.

Iran should invite UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to "investigate the post-election violence and independently assess the human rights situation", said Britain's ambassador in Geneva, Peter Gooderham.

France – like Britain, a member of the UN Security Council and a frequent critic of abuses in Iran – urged Iran to accept an international panel to probe street clashes and arrests of political dissidents in the wake of the June 12 elections.

Opposition groups claim the vote, which returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, was fraudulent.

A high-ranking US official also addressed the election violence but made no mention of an international investigation.

US Assistant Secretary of State Michael H Posner called on Iran to lift restrictions on free speech, end the reported torture of political prisoners and stop "show trials" of dissidents.

Iran rejected criticism of its record, telling the 47-member council that the country's Islamic constitution safeguards its people's human rights.

Iran "has taken a genuine and long-term approach to safeguarding human rights", said Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary-General of Iran's High Council for Human Rights. Several of Iran's allies, including Cuba, Venezuela, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua, defended Tehran's record, citing the government's achievements in promoting cultural, education and healthcare rights.