FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamal Abdi
Phone: 202-386-6325
Email: [email protected] 

The National Iranian American Council (“NIAC”) issued the following statement in response to the release of a new report from the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran:

NIAC welcomes the recent report from Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The monitor is a critical international mechanism to investigate and address the human rights situation in Iran. NIAC condemns the continued violations of human rights in Iran and hopes that the United Nations Human Rights Council will continue to renew the Special Rapporteur’s mandate until Iran fully resolves outstanding international concerns with regard to its human rights situation.

Dr. Shaheed’s report once again highlights that Iran has yet to systematically address the human rights abuses raised by the monitor. Critically, the rate of executions has continued to spike at an alarming rate. Tragically, this past Saturday, Iran proceeded with the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari, despite an international call pressing for a stay on her sentence. Jabbari was charged with murder after she killed an attacker who allegedly attempted to rape her. Jabbari’s case is one in a series of troubling executions over the past year, and NIAC condemns this particular execution and reiterates its call for a halt on all executions.

The Special Rapporteur’s report likewise calls for Iran to unconditionally release all those suffering under arbitrary detention in Iran, including journalists, human rights defenders, and religious minorities. In this context, NIAC reiterates its particular concern over the detentions of Washington Post journalist, Jason Rezaian, and two other Iranian Americans, Amir Hekmati and Pastor Saeed Abedini. NIAC calls on Iranian authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations especially with respect to these cases.

NIAC is also gravely troubled by the spate of acid attacks directed at Iranian women in Isfahan. Over the past few weeks, Iranian women have been terrorized by these attacks. While NIAC appreciates the recent statements from Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani promising to bring the attackers to justice, NIAC is concerned by the suppression of peaceful protests regarding the acid attacks in Isfahan over this past weekend. Echoing the Special Rapporteur’s call for Iran to respect Iranians’ civil and political rights, NIAC calls on Iranian authorities to bring the attackers to justice and permit peaceful political activities directed against the acid attacks to take place.

NIAC further continues to urge the international community to support a multilateral, diplomatic mechanism — like that of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate — to effectively address Iran’s human rights situation. Moreover, as the Special Rapporteur notes in his latest report, Iran “possesses the basic tools necessary to address a wide range of recurrent human rights concerns,” and NIAC reiterates its call for Iran utilize those tools to create a more favorable climate for human rights.