UN General Assembly approves resolutions targeting North Korea, Iran, Syria on human rights

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. General Assembly has approved resolutions criticizing the human rights situations of North Korea, Iran and Syria.

North Korea has been outraged by the resolution that urges the U.N. Security Council to refer the country's human rights situation to the International Criminal Court. The council will meet for the first time Monday on North Korea's human rights violations.

North Korea says the U.N. instead should investigate the CIA's harsh treatment of terror suspects.

While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they can be a strong expression of world opinion.

The affected countries and some of their allies have argued against U.N. resolutions that target a single nation, calling it confrontational.

A vote on a similar resolution on Myanmar's human rights has been delayed for further discussion.