Defending Iranian Democracy

On March 4,2011, Iran became a full-member of the UN’s top women’s rights body, the UN Commission on the Status of Women. It was elected by the UN General Assembly – by consensus, meaning with the approval of the United States.

It has been consistently proven that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) are responsible for the worst human rights record in the world per capita; there are no other 'countries' that can rival the IRI on this basis. Iranian judges can, and do,sentence women to death by stoning for alleged adultery. Under the IRI judicial system spousal rape is not illegal, according to its penal code, four male witnesses or three men and two women are required for rape conviction. IRI government allows a man to escape punishment for killing a wife caught in the act of adultery if he is certain she was a consenting partner. In 2008, 50honor killings were reported during a seven-month period in Iran, the punishment for perpetrators was often a short prison sentence. Under the Sharia law in Iran a woman has the right to divorce only if her husband: signs a contract granting that right, cannot provide for his family, or is a drug addict, insane, or impotent; while a husband is not required to cite a reason for divorcing his wife. To IRI courts the testimony of two women is equal to that of one man.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women is supposed to dedicate exclusively to gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

How are the legionnaires of gender equality going to feel when they realize that UN General Assembly have foolishly appointed the oppressive, anti feminist government of the IRI a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). No one can undermine the fact that this issue may have critical insinuations on the moral exertion for gender equality.

Realizing that the oppressive IRI government has repeatedly refused to ratify the key international instrument of law on women's rights such appointment of theirs for a seat on CSW is regarded as a disgrace to United Nations for being hypocrite and the protector of the human rights violators.

On behalf of Genuine Iranians

MansurRastani, PhD

3, 6, 2011