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For Immediate Release
Contact: Phil Elwood
Phone: 202-423-7957
Email: [email protected]
Amid
renewed fears that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani may be facing imminent execution,
and against a backdrop of ongoing, systematic violations of the rule of law by
the Iranian government, NIAC reiterates its call that the United States work
with members of the international community to establish a strong international
mechanism to address Iran’s ongoing human rights crisis.
“In
addition to speaking out publicly against this and other violations of the rule
of law, the international community must adopt a systematic, proactive approach
to properly deal with the Iranian human rights crisis,” said Jamal Abdi,
Policy Director at the National Iranian American Council.
NIAC
has joined the chorus of calls by international human rights groups urging the
United States to work to establish a UN human rights mandate to investigate and
document abuses taking place in Iran. Establishment of such a UN
monitoring mandate is a critical step to comprehensively addressing situations like that of Ashtiani’s, as well
other human rights violations, including the
deepening campaign of persecution and intimidation
of Iranian human rights defenders and
lawyers.
This
month, six prominent human rights organizations including Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, the International Campaign for Human Rights
in Iran, Democracy Coalition Project, the International Federation for Human
Rights, and the Iranian League for the Defense of
Human Rights wrote
to members of the UN General Assembly to demand urgent international scrutiny
of the situation in Iran.
NIAC
once again calls for the Iranian government to observe its own laws and
international law, provide fair trials for all detainees, release all prisoners
of conscience, and comply with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and
other international treaties to which Iran is signatory.
NIAC reiterates its support for US efforts to sanction eight
human rights violators in the Iranian government this past September. NIAC also
urges the US to expand this list to cover additional officials responsible for
human rights violations and encourages US partners to establish a targeted
international human rights sanctions regime.
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