Ahmed Shaheed reports that human rights have worsened in Iran

Ahmed Shaheed reports that human rights have worsened in Iran

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN’s special investigator on human rights in Iran
United Nations—26 September 2014

The human rights situation in Iran remains “of concern” and in many areas “has worsened,” notably in relation to executions, torture, discrimination against women, and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, according to a new report from the United Nations.

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN’s special investigator on human rights in Iran, released today his annual report to the UN General Assembly, cataloging a wide variety of rights violations, including against Iranian Baha’is.

“The rise in executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes,” reports about the pervasive use of torture and the continuing arbitrary arrests, detention and prosecutions of individuals for exercising their fundamental rights severely contravene the Government’s international and national  commitments,” said Dr. Shaheed, whose formal title is Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Furthermore, the uneven application of national laws and an apparent reluctance to investigate claims of rights violations both undermine the rule of law and cultivate a culture of impunity.

“Iranian laws continue to contradict the freedom of religion of recognized and unrecognized religious minorities, while communities continue to report arrests and prosecution for worship and participation in religious community affairs, including in private homes,” said Dr. Shaheed.

Much of this year’s report focused on Iran’s acceptance of 123 recommendations four years ago during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

Iran has not made progress on many of these recommendations, said Dr. Shaheed, including in the areas of ending torture, freedom of expression, and religious freedom.

He said, for example, that Iran had accepted nine recommendations regarding religious rights during the 2010 UPR. “ No progress in this regard has been observed, however,” he said.

He said a many religious minorities, including Christians, Sunnis, Jews, and member of the Yarsan faith, faced discrimination. He also devoted ten paragraphs of his report to the ongoing persecution of members of the Baha’i Faith, noting that at least 126 Baha’is are in prison and that they face wide ranging discrimination in the areas of education and work.

He said, for example, that university regulations continue to officially grant admission only to Muslims or members of officially recognized minority religions (i.e. Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism), “resulting in as many as 1,000 Baha’i students being denied admission in a single year,” adding that “Baha’is who are not identified during the admission process are often expelled once their faith is discovered.”

In his conclusions, Dr. Shaheed calls on Iran to cooperate with the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations. He also appealed for “unconditional release of all those detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, conscience and political opinion, in particular journalists, human  rights defenders, adherents of recognized and unrecognized religions and the leaders of the Baha’i faith.”