Iran’s Shameful Performance Stuns the UN Human Rights Council

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Shorts
by Shorts
17-Feb-2010
 

Duplicitous, Insincere Response Warrants Strong Condemnation in the March Session

(17 February 2010) As the review of Iran’s human record under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process concluded at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Iranian government demonstrated its utter lack of respect for internationally accepted norms by simultaneously accepting and rejecting recommendations of UN members with regard to addressing the critical situation of human rights in Iran, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.[video clips]

“This was a moment of truth, when the world could see the Iranian government’s deceitful attitude toward international human rights norms,” said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the Campaign.

After the release of the draft report of the Working Group on the UPR of Iran, the Iranian government announced its acceptance of several key recommendations, while it rejected the same recommendations made by other states, causing much confusion about its true intent. During the brief procedural response, several member states, including the representatives of the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Austria, and Australia expressed their bafflement at Iran’s rejections of recommendations that Iran considered “to be inconsistent with internationally recognized human rights.”

Iran rejected the following recommendations under the above justification:

· Rejected “To ensure that the new Penal Code safeguards the rights guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, in particular by defining or removing offences open to political manipulation, such as so-called “offences against national and international security,” currently used to curtail freedom of expression, assembly, and association.” Thus Iran explicitly admitted to political manipulation of these laws by its Judiciary.

· Rejected “To invite the Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit the country,” as well as, “To allow the Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit the country, and to provide him with access to detention facilities,” thereby admitting its unwillingness to account for ongoing torture and physical abuse at its prisons.

· Rejected “To repeal or amend all discriminatory provisions against women and girls in national legislation,” as well as, “To sign and ratify the Convention to End Discrimination and Violence against Women (CEDAW),” demonstrating its continued commitment to practice discrimination against women.

· Rejected “To immediately halt the execution of juveniles and political prisoners,” causing concerns that imminent and further executions following unfair trials will soon take place.

· Rejected “To take immediate action to cease the practice of torture in detention facilities, and to investigate and prosecute allegations of torture.”

· Rejected “To ensure the immediate release of illegally detained persons.”

· Rejected “To guarantee the independence of the judicial system, renounce the staging of collective trials and allow the effective exercise of the right to defense.”

· Rejected “To end its sever restrictions on the rights to free expression association and assembly; and to end the harassment and prosecution of journalists and bloggers.”

· Rejected “To prosecute security officials involved in torturing, raping, or killing.”

Ironically, among the recommendations accepted by Iran are several substantially the same as those, which were rejected.. This simultaneous act of taking contradictory positions on the same issues demonstrates the Iranian government lack of respect for international bodies and mechanisms, and for the essential rational-legal processes of the international community.

“The Iranian government is loudly telling the world that it cannot be trusted in international negotiations and interactions, no ability to demonstrate sincere intentions to cooperation, and instead reveals contempt for the international community,” Rhodes said.

For the latest human rights developments in Iran visit the Campaign’s website at www.iranhumanrights.org

For interviews or more information:

Hadi Ghaemi, in London: +1 917-669-5996
Aaron Rhodes, in Hamburg: +49 170-323-8314
Rudi Bakhtiar, in Washington DC: +1 202-573-2046

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AMIR1973

Iran's human rights priorities

by AMIR1973 on

These priorities include: the execution of 20,000 Iranian citizens; stoning adulterers to death; meting out flogging as a form of punishment; raping of prisoners; forced marriage of female prisoners through "sigheh" followed shortly thereafter by their execution.

When faced with this record of medieval barbarity, IRI groupies (including Mark Pirooz who heads the cyber brigade contingent in America's Midwestern heartland among non-Persian speaking groupies) like to pretend that IRI has a good track record on education and health care--this is baloney. Allow me to share some statistics from a previous posting of mine (when reading these stats, just remember that the IRI has 31 years of oil and natural gas revenues under its belt):

"Iran's 2007 ranking of Human Development Index (HDI) in 2007 was 88th in the world (behing Azerbaijan and Thailand); it was 95th in life expectancy (behind Samoa and El Salvador); 94th in adult literacy rate (behind Botswana and Syria); 59th in povert index (behind Sao Tome and Principe and Mongolia); 58th in Probability of not surviving to age 40 (behind Panama and Maldives); 52nd in People not using an improved water source (behind Tunisia and Grenada); 64th in Children underweight for age (behind Swaziland and El Salvador). 

 

 

With respect to Comparing Females as % males, it was 165th in Life expectancy at birth (behind Algeria and Iceland); 90th in Adult literacy rate (behind Peru and Saudi Arabia); and 106th in Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (behind Maldives and Mauretania)." 

Okay, cyber groupies, I eagerly await your response.


Sargord Pirouz

I viewed the comments from

by Sargord Pirouz on

I viewed the comments from the reps from Venezuela, Cuba and Tajikistan. They highlighted Iran's positive record of human rights for universal basic healthcare, the right to food, housing, culture, education and free higher education to those who qualify, etc.

I suppose there are differing priorities applied to human rights throughout the developed and developing world.

For instance, in America there is no universal basic healthcare and higher public education (in California) costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Again, differing priorities.