NNA - The U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said on Thursday that he has asked Iranian authorities for permission to visit the country but has not received a response.

“I’ve been engaging with Iranian authorities,” he told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of the U.N. rights council on Iran. “I have even asked to go to Iran but I have not received a response.”

Turk earlier described the situation as a “full-fledged crisis” in the country, with hundreds of people killed and thousands arrested since the killing of 22-year old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 sparked protests. -- Reuters

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