By Sina Toossi French President Emanuel Macron has achieved a major diplomatic coup this week by brokering a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. After speaking with Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, Macron declared on Monday, “A roadmap has sort of […]
The United Nations Special Rapporteur’s (SR) report on the situation of human rights in Iran was released on August 16th. The following is a brief summary of Javaid Rehman’s report.
Raising up the struggles faced by Iranian human rights defenders and holding the Iranian government to international human rights standards is essential to building a future in which the U.S. and Iran enjoy positive relations. NIAC consistently condemns human rights violations by Iran’s government and calls for all prisoners of conscience to be released.
The San Francisco-based human rights group, United For Iran, published a letter signed by over 100 Iranian human rights advocates expressing concern against further U.S. escalation with Iran. The letter expresses “grave concerns over the rising tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which risks a military confrontation that would cause massive human rights harms.”
NIAC unequivocally condemns the Iranian government for its arbitrary and politically motivated detentions in contravention of Iran’s human rights obligations, and reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Sotoudeh, along with all prisoners of conscience.
Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, criticized the secretary’s comments as well, saying Pompeo “failed to outline a coherent strategic logic for the Trump administration’s Middle East policy.”
Jamal Abdi, newly appointed President of the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based advocacy group, welcomes Rehman’s appointment and says that reports from the Iran Rapporteur are instrumental in pressuring the Iranian regime to improve human rights. ‘The appointment of Dr Rehman to serve as the next Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran will ensure the continuation of important and neutral work aimed at holding Iran’s government accountable to its international human rights obligations,’ Abdi says. ‘These balanced reports provide an important opportunity for the Rapporteur, backed by the UN and the broader international community, to press Iran to abide by the recommendations of the report and move toward compliance with its human rights obligations.’
Some Iranian American organizations such as the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) boycotted the speech, accusing Pompeo of seeking to co-opt legitimate Iranian grievances.
The appointment of Dr. Rehman to serve as the next Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran will ensure the continuation of important and neutral work aimed at holding Iran’s government accountable to its international human rights obligations.
Iranian Americans joined a chorus of criticism Monday over President Trump’s revised travel ban, saying at its core that it continued to target Muslims. “Make no mistake,” the National Iranian American Council said. “The new Muslim ban is still an unconstitutional ban that targets individuals based on their religion and nationality. “And it is still a ban that undermines rather than enhances America’s security,” the Washington-based advocacy group said.
The widespread use of the internet and social media by Iranian protesters after the country’s hotly contested 2009 presidential elections prompted the Obama administration to remove sanctions on technology exports, such as iPhones and computers furnished with the latest operating systems, said Jamal Abdi, the policy director of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).
A UN human rights monitor reiterated concern for continued human right abuses in Iran in a new report, but also pointed to – for the first time – improvements in the Iranian government’s approach toward specific human rights concerns.
Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, has once again noted a dark year for executions in Iran. The report estimates that between 966 and 1,054 were executed – the highest rate in ten years and averaging four people per day between April and June. A majority of the executed were reportedly convicted of drug-related offenses, which is not considered a “most serious” crime under international law and is not an executable offense in most countries.