“Personal attacks on UN Officials Show Iranians Not Free to Express Opinions,” Said Ahmed Shaheed.
On Friday, March 14, 2014, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN
Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, held a press
conference at the UN in Geneva to discuss his new report to the Human Rights
Council.
When asked about his opinion on the personal attacks
made on him and the UN by conservative Iranian officials and media, Ahmed
Shaheed responded, “Personal attacks are nothing new. When a UN Special
Rapporteur or the Secretary General or other [European] officials can receive
personal attacks for the things they say, think about what could happen to
those Iranians who may express their opinions in Tehran or in other places?”
Ahmed Shaheed asked the Iranian Government to allow
him to travel to the country so that he can have discussions with the
government and the civil society in order to pursue his mission’s goals. “The
road ahead is long and bumpy, but with cooperation and determination, I believe
that real change can still occur.”
Ahmed Shaheed’s press conference followed the release
of his latest report on the situation of human rights in Iran to the UN Human
Rights Council. “Today, I report with deep regret that despite overtures and
announcements emanating from the newly elected Iranian government, and perhaps
even in spite of modest attempts to take steps towards reform, the situation of
human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains of serious concern,” he
said at the beginning of his press conference.
“Hundreds of political prisoners continue to languish
in detention, often for nothing more than the alleged “crime” of expressing an
opinion or belief. Members of ethnic, religious, and sexual minority groups
face harassment and persecution for advocating for group rights, worship, or
communal heritage, when such advocacy deviates from officially-sanctioned
positions,” the Special Rapporteur continued.
Addressing the continuing surge in the number of
executions carried out in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed said, “the Iranian Government
continues to execute individuals at an alarming rate, prompting a number of UN
officials and Special Procedures, including myself, to call twice over the past
month for an immediate moratorium on the practice. Most of the executions
carried out are for alleged drug trafficking-related crimes, which do not meet
international standards of “most serious” to qualify for application of the
death penalty.”
“Other executions, like those of Ahwazi cultural
activists Hashem Shabani and Hadi Rashedi, and of former child bride Ms
Farzaneh Moradi, raise serious concerns over due process and fair trial
guarantees; concerns which are compounded when the punishment meted out is so
ultimate and irreversible. The impending execution of Mr. Rouhallah Tavani for
allegedly insulting the Holy Prophet, a conviction based solely on a private
home video of a birthday party which had been seized by authorities, is also
inhumane and illegal,” added the UNSpecial Rappporteur on the Situation of
Human Rights in Iran.
Ahmed Shaheed said that despite signs that some
members of the Rouhani cabinet may favor increasing press freedom, in fact more
newspapers have been shut down or kept from re-opening over the recent months.
“Both the Bahar and Aseman periodicals were recently shut down following
published commentary on theological questions related to Shi’a Islam,
indicating that the Government will not even tolerate discussion within the
confines of the state religion. Sixteen IT professionals and cyber-activists
were arrested in December 2013 for allegedly cooperating with foreign media,
and at least 5 of them, and 40 overall journalists remain in detention. Another
columnist for a conservative paper was sued by the National Security Council in
February for criticizing Iran’s nuclear program. The suit is ongoing,” he said.
Referring to President Rouhan’s proposed “Charter of
Citizens’ Rights,” Ahmed Shaheed said that it “seemingly falls short of
addressing the pressing issues repeatedly raised in my reports, in those of the
Secretary-General, and those raised by other Special Rapporteurs, Treaty
Bodies, human rights groups, and international organizations.”
The UN Special Rapporteur asked the Iranian Government
release all political prisoners. He also asked the Government to amend the
draft Charter of Citizenship Rights, “to ensure that all rights posited therein
are unconditionally guaranteed to all citizens.” He also asked the Iranian
Government to “investigate and prosecute any individuals found responsible for
prior human rights abuses in contravention of Iranian law or Iran’s
international human rights obligations, including cases from the post-2009
election unrest, and from before, if necessary.”
Ahmed Shaheed concluded by stating that the Iranian
Government “should place a moratorium on capital punishment, until such time as
it can meaningfully reform its penal system for drug convicts and ensure due
process and fair trial guarantees, without undue influence from political
forces, for individuals detained on ‘national security’ charges.”
On Monday, March 17, Shaheed will formally present his
latest report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The interactive dialogue
will include Iran’s official reply and discussion of Shaheed’s findings by the
Council member states.
Member states will vote on a resolution calling for
the renewal of Shaheed’s mandate for a fourth consecutive year towards the end
of the current session on March 21.
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2014/03/shaheed-press-unhrc/
