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U.N. Human Rights Monitor Delivers First Report on Iran
Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, submitted his first report to the U.N. Human Rights Council this week, cataloguing "allegations that produce a striking pattern of violations of fundamental human rights guaranteed under international law."
Washington, DC –Ahmed
Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights
in Iran, submitted his first report
to the U.N. Human Rights Council this week, cataloguing “allegations that
produce a striking pattern of violations of fundamental human rights guaranteed
under international law.”
Expanding on a
September 2011 interim report
that highlighted various human rights issues, the full report is divided
between legal issues and the situation of human rights. Shaheed’s findings portrayed an growing human
rights crisis inside of Iran, punctuated by “the alarming increase in
executions since 2003.” Whereas in the interim report he noted over 200
executions had been announced, as of December 2011, 421 executions were
officially announced while 249 additional secret executions
were reported to Shaheed. A large majority of the executions were allegedly
related to drug offenses, something Shaheed emphasizes does not meet the
“serious crime” standard set by international law.
The report comes at
a time of escalating tensions and concerns of possible Israeli or U.S. military
confrontation with Iran. Human rights
and pro-democracy advocates inside Iran warned in a report last year that war would be
devastating for their movement, cautioning that military conflict would provoke
intensified crackdowns against the government’s domestic opponents. Iranian human rights defenders have strongly cautioned that even the rising threat of war has undermined civil
society and emboldened hardliners inside of Iran.
A new round of diplomacy is expected within
the coming weeks between members of the UN Security Council and Iran, however
it is expected to focus exclusively on the nuclear issue. Diplomacy supporters have called for
bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and Iran that are broadened beyond the
nuclear file to address human rights and regional issues.
In addition to
spotlighting the increase in executions, Shaheed’s report outlines violations
of “students being deprived of their right to education on the basis of their
political and student activities critical of Government or university
policies.” It also documents systematic
discrimination against women, homosexuals, members of religious minorities,
political activists, and lawyers—which has a force multiplier effect of denying
legal representation for those whose rights have already been violated.
Another issue of focus
in the report is freedom of the press in Iran. As of the report’s writing, 42
journalists were imprisoned in Iran, the highest of any country in the world.
At least another 150 journalists have fled the country since the 2009
presidential election for fear of persecution. Moreover, Shaheed received
information that 50 publications have been suspended since the election and
most press trials are conducted in private, often barring the journalists from
appearing at them at all, despite stipulations in the Iranian Constitution.
Iranian
representatives denounced the report, saying it was “full of lies.” However, the rapporteur has enjoyed broad
support at the UN Human Rights Council and the one-year mandate for the office
is expected to be extended for another year.
The UN human rights
monitor post was first reestablished in March of this year. The post had
been in place since 1986, but the mandate for the position failed to be renewed
in 2002. The reestablishment of the human rights monitor was supported by
a broad coalition of states at the Human Rights Council, and was strongly
advocated by international human rights organizations including the Democracy
Coalition Project and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and
groups including the National Iranian American
Council. Supporters of
the post have argued that a broad, multilateral effort that enjoyed the
imprimatur of the international community was critical in pressing Iran to
resolve concerns about its human rights obligations.
Shaheed, who was appointed
June of 2011, has been denied access by Iranian officials to enter the country
as part of his investigation of Iran’s human rights situation. Although
he was granted meetings with the Permanent Missions of Iran in New York and
Geneva, Shaheed has not yet been granted the opportunity to engage with Iranian
government representatives in any substantive discussion about the cases
presented in the report. The findings in Shaheed’s report are based on
information obtained from various “independent and reliable sources” such as human
rights organizations, first-hand accounts from witnesses, and families of
detainees in Iran.
Shaheed formerly served as the foreign minister of the
Maldives until 2007, when he resigned in protest over the government’s failure
to implement democratic reforms. He was appointed to the Iran monitor
post in June 2011 and will report to the Human Rights Council on at least an
annual basis so long as the post’s mandate is renewed.
Read more at National Iranian American Council
Source:
