109 HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ASK UNITED NATIONS TO CONDEMN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN IRAN
منشور بواسطة admin1 في English
Global outpouring of solidarity with Iran’s human rights defenders
(16 November 2009) New York – Over one hundred independent human rights and civil
society organizations from around the world have urged delegations to the United
Nations to support a resolution in the General Assembly condemning human rights
violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), and urging the IRI to abide by its
international human rights obligations.
“Human rights conditions in Iran have deteriorated dramatically since the General
Assembly’s 2008 Resolution….It is incumbent upon the international community
and a matter of the utmost moral urgency to emphasize to the government of Iran
that common human rights standards must be upheld,” the groups stated in their
letter dated 11 November 2009 (copy attached).
The signatories include local groups from Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Russia,
Malaysia, India, South Africa and other non-western societies, as well as global
organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and International
Commission of Jurists. The groups expressed their concern about the killing of peaceful
demonstrators, arbitrary arrests, rape, torture and ill treatment in detention, and “show
trials” of those charged with serious crimes, for which they may be executed, simply for
expressing their political opinions.
“It is a crucial moment for the human rights situation in Iran,” said Yap Swee Seng,
executive director of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUMASIA).
“We urge the Iranian government to demonstrate its genuine will to improve the
situation by honoring its standing invitation for special procedures and facilitating the
visits of independent monitors for credible investigations of all allegations of human
rights violations.”
More organizations are expected to join the appeal ahead of the vote on a resolution
tabled by Canada, which enumerates the wide range of human rights that have been
violated by the Islamic Republic including torture, excessive use of capital punishment
and the execution of juvenile offenders, executions by stoning, the repression of women’s
rights advocates, discrimination against minorities, and denial of basic civil and political
rights.
“We join Iranian human rights defenders in insisting that the Iranian government respect
the fundamental rights of its people,” said Aylona Ob’ezdchikova of the Youth Human
Rights Movement in Russia. “As citizens of the Russian Federation, we feel a special
responsibility to demonstrate solidarity, and we ask our government to urge to Iran halt
these violations.”
The draft resolution calls on Iran to “redress its inadequate record of cooperation with
international human rights mechanisms,” “regrets that the Islamic Republic it has not
fulfilled any requests from [United Nations] special mechanisms to visit the country in 4
years and has not answered numerous communications from these special mechanisms,”
and “[i]nvites the thematic special procedures mandate holders to pay particular attention
to the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran” with regard to abuses that
have occurred since disputed presidential election in June 2009.
“It must be made clear that it is not just the nuclear issue that that the world is concerned
about when it comes to Iran,” said Moataz El Fegiery, executive director of the Cairo
Institute for Human Rights Studies in Egypt. “We are deeply concerned about the Iranian
government’s ill-treatment of its people and we are asking governments and the United
Nations to strengthen their attention to this issue.”
The diversity of voices calling on the international community to act this year reflects the
growing concern about the human rights situation inside the country. The organizations
joining the call represent civil societies from over 40 countries, the majority from Asia,
Africa, and the Middle East. The 109 groups conclude their appeal by urging delegations
to support a resolution “that will help show Iran a path toward respecting the human
rights values and standards upon which the United Nations was founded.”
To read the letter, visit: http://www.demcoalition.org/site09-2008/pdf/pdf/Iran%20UNGA%20Sign%20On%20Letter%20Nov%2012.pdf
For more information:
In New York - International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hadi Ghaemi,
+1-917-669-5996
In Hamburg – International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Aaron Rhodes,
+43-676 35-6612
In Washington, D.C. – Democracy Coalition Project, Dokhi Fassihian, +1-703-864-5550
In Geneva- FORUM-ASIA, Giyoun Kim, +41-22-740-2947
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