UN News Centre: 19 October 2011 – The United
Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in Iran today
voiced concern over alleged violations in the country’s judicial system, citing
practices such as torture, cruel or degrading treatment of detainees, and the
imposition of the death penalty without proper safeguards.
Presenting his report to the
General Assembly’s third committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and
cultural affairs, Ahmed Shaheed, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in Iran, also identified denial of access to legal counsel and
medical treatment, and widespread use of secret and public executions, as other
issues of concern.
There were also reports of capital
punishment in juvenile cases, and the use of the death penalty for cases that
do not meet the level of serious crimes by international standards, he said.
“In some cases, elements of
Iran’s penal code and legal practices amount to contravention of those
international laws it acceded to,” said Mr. Shaheed.
He said Iran’s record seems to
have gained particular attention because of the country’s “lack substantive
cooperation with the UN human rights system and because of the existence of
frequent reports of suppression of those self-correcting mechanisms that
deprive Iranians from freely seeking redress or reform within the parameters of
their human rights.”
The “self-correction mechanisms”
that are suppressed include free and fair elections, denial of freedom of
expression and assembly, allegations of depravation of the right to education,
harassment and intimidation of religious and ethnic minorities, human rights
defenders and civil society and religious actors.
He urged Iranian authorities to
provide adequate medical access to the well-known cleric Ayatollah
Kazemeini-Boroujerdi, and to consider his immediate release.
He also called upon Tehran to
consider releasing all individuals listed in his report, including political
leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who consider themselves
detainees of the Government, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, student and
women’s rights activist Bahareh Hedayat, student activist Abdollah Momeni, and
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani.
He also urged Iran to cooperate
with him as he carries out his mandate. “In the absence of this, however, my course
of action will be to continue to obtain information through interaction with
Iranians both in the region and in other parts of the world, as well as with
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other parts of the UN system.”
Mr. Shaheed said he had been
informed of the arrests and prosecution of at least 42 lawyers for their
attempts to provide legal counsel. Charges brought against the majority of them
include acting against national security; participating in illegal gatherings;
insulting the Supreme Leader; and spreading propaganda against the regime.
He took notice of the positive
steps taken by the Iranian authorities, including the Government’s recent
decision to release between 60 and 100 prisoners, many of whom had been
arrested as a result of their participation in events related to the 2009
presidential elections.
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