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“The Iranian authorities seem either to have lost touch with reality
or are unwilling to acknowledge it. The government report reads as if
there is no human rights crisis, just politically motivatedIranian authorities have ‘lost touch with reality’ says Amnesty ahead of UN human right review
Posted: 12 February 2010
The Iranian government’s view of the state of human rights in the country is severely distorted, Amnesty International said today in an analysis paper prepared ahead of a review of Iran by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Amnesty International paper was prepared in response to Iran’s own submission to the UN in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review. The UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group will evaluate Iran’s human rights record on 15 February.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East at Amnesty International, said:

“The Iranian authorities seem either to have lost touch with reality or are unwilling to acknowledge it. The government report reads as if there is no human rights crisis, just politically motivated criticism.

“UN member states must look at what is actually happening in Iran: mass arrests and detentions, beatings of peaceful demonstrators, torture and deaths in custody, ‘show trials’ and politically motivated executions. Complacency or misplaced solidarity with Iran should not stand in the way of demands for Iran to fulfil its human... >>>