Note
UN-accredited NGOs are accredited by a committee that includes states like Sudan, Cuba and China. So NGOs are often so-called "GONGOs" – government organized NGOs. When the UN Human Rights Council talked about Iran, here's what these "NGOs" had to say: "Organization for Defending Victims of Violence said that the human rights situation in Iran should be viewed in the context of imposed military threats and economic and social sanctions...immense threats affecting Iran;" "Imam Ali's Popular Students Relief Society said that the effects of unilateral and coercive sanctions imposed on Iran, which came mainly from the United States and the European Union, had placed enormous pressure on the country." Islamic Women's Institute "said that three decades of human rights resolutions issued against Iran had only resulted in the deepening of mistrust and had reduced the possibility of mutual understanding. In addition, Iran had had to endure the most damaging and harshest sanctions." So the next time you see the NGO label, think twice about its independence and legitimacy.