A United Nations human rights committee has condemned rights abuses in Burma, Iran and North Korea.

The committee said it still has concerns about what are called “systematic” human rights violations in Burma despite some moves toward reform there.

It welcomed recent talks between Burma's government and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as the release of some political prisoners and promises by officials to implement reforms. However, the committee voiced concern over arbitrary detentions, rape, torture, and other rights abuses in Burma.

On Iran, the committee passed a resolution condemning torture, inhuman treatment, and a dramatic increase in the use of the death penalty.

The head of Iran's Human Rights Council, Mohammad Javad Larijani, told the committee that the charges in the resolution are a “shameful fabrication” and “totally preposterous.”

The U.N. committee also raised what it called “very serious concern” about the rights situation in North Korea, which it said included torture, public executions, and arbitrary detentions.