January 22, 2020 Comments are off Sina Toossi
Share:

Zarif Says Iran Might Leave Nonproliferation Treaty

Week of January 20th, 2020 | Iran Unfiltered is a weekly digest tracking Iranian politics & society by the National Iranian American Council | Subscribe Here

Zarif Says Iran Might Leave Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Iran was prepared to leave the NPT after the JCPOA’s European parties triggered the accord’s “dispute resolution mechanism.”The dispute resolution mechanism initiates a process that can potentially lead to the reimposition of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

Zarif stated that Iran’s steps to reduce compliance with the JCPOA are over, but that it was prepared to leave the NPT if UN sanctions are reimposed. He stated: “The steps to reduce compliance are over but if European countries continue their improper behavior or send Iran’s case to the UN Security Council, we will leave the NPT.”

In early January, Iran took its fifth and final step in reducing compliance with the deal, in which Iranian officials said they would no longer abide by any of the deal’s “operational limits.” The final limit Iran said it would cease compliance with was on its number of operational centrifuges. Given Iran previously ceased compliance with the deal’s limits on uranium enrichment capacity, level of enrichment, the stockpile of enriched uranium, and research and development (of more advanced centrifuges), Iranian officials framed this step as a final cessation of compliance with all of the deal’s limits.

However, Iran technically remains in the deal and has said the steps it has taken to reduce compliance reflect a measure in the accord. In announcing the fifth and final step, Iranian officials also said the IAEA will maintain the same level of inspections access and that Iran was prepared to fully return to its commitments if the other parties to the deal met their obligations on sanctions relief. They also said that going forward Iran will develop its nuclear program in accordance to its “technical needs.”

Zarif added in his remarks this week that Iran had already triggered the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism in November 2018. He stated: “The Islamic Republic of Iran officially started the discussion of resolving disputes in May 2018 after America left the deal. Three letters were sent on May 10, 2018, August 26, 2018, and in November 2018 to EU Foreign Policy Chief Frederica Mogherini and in these it was officially declared that Iran would initiate the accord’s dispute resolution mechanism.”

Zarif added: “In the letter that was written to Ms Mogherini in November 2018, we emphasized that Iran had triggered the dispute resolution mechanism and reached the end of this process, and that thus we had no choice but to begin reducing our compliance with the deal.”

Zarif said that after this letter, Iran gave the European Union “seven months [to meet its obligations] and in May of 2018 began reducing compliance with the deal.” Zarif then said that Europe’s actions on the JCPOA and triggering the dispute resolution mechanism were in “no way legal.”

Zarif further said about Iran’s compliance with the NPT: “If the Europeans take more actions, based on the letter of President Rouhani in May 2018, the issue of Iran leaving the NPT will be brought forward.”

Back to Top

Guardian Council Disqualifies MP Candidates, Spurring Rouhani Backlash

The Guardian Council disqualified 80 incumbent members of parliament from running for reelection, out of a total of 290 members in the body. According to the conservative Tasnim outlet, “80 reformist and principlist (conservative) representatives” have been disqualified. The parliamentary election is on February 21, 2020.

Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, the Guardian Council’s spokesperson, said the disqualified candidates would have five days to appeal the disqualification. This five-day window ended on January 16th.

The list of disqualified candidates included many prominent reformists. This included outspoken MPs like Mahmoud Sadeghi, Elias Hazrati, Ali Motahari, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, and Fatemeh Saeedi.

Based off the Iranian constitution, the Interior Ministry (part of the elected presidential administration) manages elections and the Guardian Council vets candidates. The Guardian Council is also the final authority on confirming the “validity” of elections. In past elections, the Guardian Council has predominantly disqualified reformist candidates.

President Rouhani condemned the disqualifications. He stated: “The people like diversity. Let all parties and groups participate in elections. There will certainly be no cost. You can’t run the country with one faction.”

In response, Guardian Council spokesperson Kadkhodaei accused Rouhani of advancing an “anti-national project.” He stated: “Creating controversy to approve people who aren’t qualified is not new. But the president entering this anti-national project is regrettable.”

In October, Rouhani also spurred hardline backlash after he said Iran’s first post-revolutionary parliament was the “best parliament” and its election was the “best election.” This parliament was elected in March 1980 and was comprised of a wide-range of political groups, including the National Front, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, and other groups that were eventually excised by the Islamic Republic.

Back to Top

Massive Mourning Processions for Soleimani in Iran & Iraq

After IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport, massive funeral processions were held across Iran and Iraq. Soleimani was killed alongside Iraqi PMU commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and several others. Official funeral processions for them brought out massive crowds of mourners–seemingly in the millions–in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf, and then in the Iranian cities of Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran, Qom, and Kerman.

After Soleimani’s killing, Iran’s Supreme National Security said Iran would respond with “harsh revenge” at an “appropriate time and place.” This was followed by a ballistic missile strike at the Ain Al-Assad military base in Iraq, which is the largest base in Iraq hosting U.S. troops and military equipment. There were no U.S. fatalities in the attack, which Iran gave advanced warning of, but the attack marked a precision strike on U.S. facilities.

During Soleimani’s funeral procession in his hometown of Kerman, a stampede broke out and led to 56 deaths.

Back to Top

Rouhani Administration Deflects Blame for Ukrainian Passenger Jet Downing

Ali Rabiee, the Rouhani administration’s spokesperson, has claimed that no administration official knew that Ukrainian passenger jet 752 was shot down by an Iranian missile until days later. The aircraft was shot down early in the morning on Wednesday, January 8th, after an Iranian missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani. 

Rabiee said that no Rouhani administration official knew that an Iranian missile shot down the aircraft until the evening of Friday, January 10th. Until then, government officials attributed the downing to a “technical error” and denied Iran shot down the jet. On the morning of January 11th, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces announced the plane was accidentally shot down amid high U.S.-Iran tensions and a potential U.S. attack.

Rabiee stated: “No administration official including the president himself knew the main reason for the crash of the aircraft until the evening of Friday, which was due to unintentional defensive fire.”

Rabiee said that until then, Rouhani administration officials were going by the intelligence they were given. This was that “missiles had no role in this incident.”

Rabiee said that the Revolutionary Guards had notified its own command and hierarchy, but not the Rouhani administration. He proclaimed: “When the commander of the Revolutionary Guards says that chief commanders of the political system were notified, this means the hierarchy they are under, not the administration.”

Rabiee then “apologized” to the Iranian public and sought to deflect blame from the administration again: “The reality is that the administration itself was caught up in the cycle of getting faulty information and intelligence.”

President Rouhani called the shootdown of the aircraft a “great mistake and unforgivable.” He said the judiciary should set up a “special court with senior judges and dozens of specialists” to investigate the issue. He added: “The whole world will be watching our courts.”

Rouhani, who served as the head of Iran’s air defense systems for years, said many people were responsible for the incident. He stated: “Given the familiarity I have with air defense I know that it’s not just one person that is responsible. There are others. I want this to be made clear honestly to the people. It needs to be made clear to the people who was involved in this oversight.”

Rouhani also demanded accountability over when military officials reached the conclusion that a missile took down the aircraft, and why the rest of the government wasn’t notified until Friday.

Back to Top

Protests Over Plane Shootdown Target Supreme Leader & IRGC

On January 11th and 12th, after authorities announced the Ukrainian airliner was shot down accidentally, protests erupted in many Iranian cities. According to BBC Persian, “hundreds of people gathered in demonstrations in Tehran, Isfahan, Rasht, Kerman, Shiraz, Hamedan, and Borujerd to protest the lack of transparency about the reason for the passenger plane’s crash.”

In protests at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University and Sharif University, slogans were chanted against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the IRGC. Demonstrators also called for the prosecution of the parties responsible for the incident. They also called for Khamenei’s resignation.

Anti-riot police appeared at many of the protests in Tehran and fired tear gas and hit demonstrators with batons. According to an eyewitness talking to BBC Persian: “When the slogans weren’t too radical, they [the riot police] didn’t do anything. But when Khamenei’s name was mentioned, they fired tear gas.”

According to BBC Persian, one video circulating on social media appeared to show women wounded from gunfire. BBC Persian stated: “In this video that says it was shot around Azadi square, several wounded women are seen. It appears that the cause of their injuries are bullet fire from security forces. This is as Tehran’s police chief purports that security forces have not fired at protestors.”

Many of the victims of the shot down Ukrainian passenger plane were Iranian students who were returning to Canada for their studies.

On January 16th, official funeral ceremonies for victims of the shoot down were held in different cities, including Tehran, Sanandaj, Mahabad, and Kermanshah. According to BBC Persian, many were marked by anti-government slogans and security forces were present at some of these processions.

Other funeral processions took place in Isfahan, Yazd, Hamedan, Zanjan and Qom, where the victims were from. According to BBC Persian, Iranian State TV aired some of the processions, but not the ones where anti-government slogans were shouted.

Back to Top

Khamenei Delivers First Friday Prayer Sermon in Years

Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a far-reaching a speech at Tehran’s weekly Friday Prayer ceremony, the first time he spoke at this podium in over eight years. Khamenei spoke on Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s assassination, the shootdown of the Ukrainian airliner, Europe triggering the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism and the potential for negotiations, Iran’s upcoming parliamentary election, regional issues and Iran-Iraq relations.

Khamenei said the past two weeks were historic and consisted of “sour and sweet events and incidents that had lessons for the Iranian people.” Khamenei said that Soleimani’s funeral procession across Iran and in different parts of the region were a “day of God.”

He stated: “Yom Allah (Day of God) is a day when humans can witness the power of God’s hand in events. That day when tens of millions of people in Iran and hundreds of thousands of people in some countries came to the streets for the head of the Qods Force of the Revolutionary Guards and held the biggest funeral in the world, was a Day of God.”

Khamenei then lauded the Qods Force—which Soleimani headed—and said it went beyond being an “administrative organization.” The Qods Force is a “human institution with great and clear human motivations … The Qods Army is a force that looks at everyone everywhere. Warriors without borders, warriors that will appear wherever needed. They preserve the dignity of the oppressed.”

Khamenei stated that the funeral processions for Soleimani showed that the “Iranian nation loves symbols of resistance.” He added: “The Iranian nation showed it supports resistance. It does not support surrender. Some try to portray something else in the court of public opinion, they don’t act honestly. This is the nation, the nation supports steadfastness and resistance. The nation supports standing up to this clown [Donald Trump].”

Khamenei then said the shooting down of the Ukrainian airliner was a “regrettable and sour” accident. He added: “It burned our heart in the truest sense. Losing our dear youth, our good people, people who came here from other countries, was undoubtedly a sour accident.”

Khamenei added that “our enemy” was happy about the plane downing. He went on: “They felt they attained something they could use to question the Revolutionary Guards and the Islamic Republic.”

Khamenei further said about the shoot down: “I sincerely repeat again that I sympathize with the victims of this tragedy and share their grief. I thank the mothers and fathers and all those mourning that, even though their hearts are full of grief, they stood against the enemy’s plans and aims.”

Khamenei then discussed the JCPOA’s European parties triggering the deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, which could lead to a process that would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran. Khamenei said that “from day one I said I don’t trust them” and that these same countries “helped Saddam Hussein” during the Iran-Iraq War.

He added: “After one year, they showed that they are America’s lackey’s in the truest sense. These little governments are waiting to bring the Iranian nation to its knees. America couldn’t achieve this, you (the UK, France, and Germany) are too small to achieve this.”

Khamenei then said that Iran was “not afraid of negotiations.” He stated: “The only path for the Iranian nation is to strive to get stronger. We aren’t afraid of negotiations, but not from a place of weakness, but of strength. Thank God, we are strong and are getting stronger. Power is not only military power. Our economy has to get stronger. Our dependency on oil needs to end.”

Khamenei then said that a high turnout in the upcoming election would be the “most important sign of our strength.” Khamenei said that “in the election the presence of the people provides insurance for the country.” He added that the “enemy” wants to reduce turnout and “taint” the election.

Khamenei delivered the rest of his speech in Arabic and had specific comments on Iran-Iraq relations. He stated: “There have been many lopsided efforts to create conflict between the Iranian and Iraqi nations. Immense amounts of money has been spent. They have used irresponsible people in Iran and in Iraq to engage in satanic propaganda against each other.”

Khamenei stated that the “martyrdom” of Soleimani and PMU commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis “thwarted all these efforts.” He then said that Iran’s missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq made the threat of war more “distant.” He added that the “aim of America is a civil war in Iraq and the partitioning of Iraq and the elimination of resistance forces.”

Back to Top

 

 
December 21, 2019 Comments are off Sina Toossi
Share:

Rouhani Goes to Japan & Discusses Potential Deal

Week of December 16th, 2019 | Iran Unfiltered is a weekly digest tracking Iranian politics & society by the National Iranian American Council | Subscribe Here

Rouhani Travels to Japan, Says Iran Welcomes Potential Deal

President Rouhani travelled to Malaysia and then to Japan for a state visit from December 20-21st. In Malaysia, he participated in a summit of leaders from Muslim-majority countries alongside leaders from Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia. Notably, Saudi King Salman turned down the invitation of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad to attend.

In a speech in Kuala Lumpur, Rouhani said that the U.S. has “no choice” but to reverse its approach to Iran. He stated: “The Americans have no choice but to reverse this path that they have taken with the resistance and steadfastness of the people in the face of sanctions and the maximum economic pressure of the enemies. Our political, societal, cultural, and defensive resilience in the face of foreign pressure is far greater than in the past.”

In Japan, Rouhani met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and discussed bilateral relations and efforts to secure the Persian Gulf and preserve the JCPOA. During his meeting with Abe, Rouhani said that he had sent a letter to the Persian Gulf countries emphasizing Iran’s desire for stability and inviting them to join Iran’s proposed “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” security structure.

Rouhani told Abe that Iran welcomes proposals to boost economic trade. He said: “We welcome any proposals that could result in increasing economic trade, particularly in the energy sector and increasing exports of oil.”

Rouhani also said Iran welcomes any deals to preserve the JCPOA and improve Persian Gulf security. He stated: “Naturally and within the framework of our interests, we will not avoid any negotiations or agreements in this area.”

Rouhani added that U.S. sanctions were a “lose-lose” for everyone. He proclaimed: “The illegal approach of America with its unlawful withdrawal from the JCPOA showed that this step was a blow to an international agreement and peace and security and had no benefit for America or any of the JCPOA parties. It proved that sanctions have no destiny other than being a ‘lose-lose’ for everyone.”

During the meeting, Abe said that Japan wished to improve societal ties between the two countries. He said: “Japan is eager to quickly implement the agreement of the two countries on tourism so that relations between the two nations can further develop.”

Abe also welcomed Iran’s “Hormuz Peace Endeavor,” stating: “Ensuring security for the region is important for all countries who make passage in this area and we appreciate Iran’s constructive role in providing security and stability and peace in the region.”

Abe also said that Japan was working with the UK, France, and Germany to preserve the JCPOA.

Back to Top

Iran and US United Nations Ambassadors Talk in First for Trump Era

On the sidelines of a meeting of the UN Security Council, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft approached and talked with her Iranian counterpart Majid Takht-Ravanchi. According to BBC Persian, it is the first high-level public dialogue between a senior U.S. and Iranian official of the Trump presidency.

U.S. officials told BBC Persian that Craft offered her condolences to Ravanchi over the death of an Iranian child. During his speech to the UN Security Council, Ravanchi had discussed the case of an Iranian child, Ava, who had died due to a lack of medication blocked by U.S. sanctions.

During her address to the UN Security Council, Craft also said that the U.S. was prepared to make a deal with Iran that would improve global peace and security.

Back to Top

MP Says “Many Killed” in Southwestern Town of Mahshahr

An Iranian parliamentarian has said that “many people” died in the southwestern city of Mahshahr in the recent protests. He did not say how many, but contended that “armed rioters” were present in the city. BBC Persian has said about the killings: “Eyewitnesses says that from November 15th, protestors closed down many of the roads leading to the petrochemical Imam Khomeini port, including the Shahrak Chamran road in the Mahshahr special economic district.”

The BBC Persian report adds: “BBC Persian viewers have said that during the unrest in Mahshahr, security forces ‘fired widely’ at the protestors and many were killed or wounded.”

It further stated: “These viewers say that protestors were confronted with tanks and gunfire, but officials say they confronted armed rioters who sought to attack the petrochemical industry.”

Back to Top

Banking Reform Bills Take Step Towards Passage

The Iranian outlet ILNA has reported that two remaining bills to reform Iran’s banking sector have passed a key hurdle. The bills are aimed at bringing Iran into compliance by global standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)–a Paris-based body. 

The Rouhani administration introduced four bills to accomplish this. While two were approved by parliament and the Guardian Council, the other two were rejected by the Guardian Council and went to the Expediency Council–a body constitutionally mandated to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.

Now, ILNA has cited a member of the Expediency Council as saying the Council’s Joint Commission has approved the two remaining FATF bills. This approval comes before a February deadline by FATF for Iran to comply with its measures or else it would reimpose countermeasures. However, the outlet states that the bills still need to be approved by a vote of all the council’s members. 

Passage of these bills is widely believed to be necessary for Iran to develop the proper banking relations needed to benefit from sanctions relief.

Back to Top

77 Reformists Call for Prosecutions Regarding Protest Deaths

A group of 77 leading reformist activists released a statement calling for the prosecution of security forces that fired on protestors.  The statement stressed the necessity of the government accepting the right of people to protest peacefully and the need for people to avoid violence.

The statement stated in part: “The firing of guns, which were provided by public funds to defend the people, at ordinary and unarmed citizens who came to the streets to express their grievances and rage, is completely and in any case unacceptable and a crime, and the law and judiciary must not hesitate for a second to pursue the perpetrators.”

The statement added: “We ask the dear people and protestors that by displaying their commitments, avoid any violence or damage to public and private property and not leave the path of peaceful protests. Additionally, we should be careful of any likely efforts to take advantage by foreigners, or groups that are violent or opposed to the country’s territorial integrity and national government.”

Several of the statement’s authors were reportedly summoned by judicial authorities or arrested.

Back to Top

Reformist MP Makes Fiery Speech Critical of Status Quo

Reformist MP Parvaneh Salahshouri delivered a speech sharply criticizing the political status quo and stating she would not seek reelection in February’s parliamentary election.  She declared: “Unfortunately, the republican aspects of the political system have headed in the direction of concentration of power. Uncontrollable total authoritarianism in every area, the exercise of power by parallel institutions in all of the country’s administrative issues.”

Salahshouri added: “In our structures, we have dual organs or even multiple organs, which all make decisions. How many governments? How many intelligence agencies? How many parallel institutions? And at the end, you have a dual government which escapes responsibility and plays the game of, ‘it wasn’t me’ when it comes to managing the country.”

While giving her speech in parliament, Salahshouri was met with vocal pushback from several hardline MPs.

Back to Top

 

 
October 23, 2019 Comments are off Assal Rad
Share:

Report of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, has submitted a second report to the General Assembly. The full report can be found here. This second report is focused on the human rights situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, who are often treated as second class citizens and denied their full rights. The following is a brief summary of the report:

  • The overall economic situation has created increased hardships for all Iranians, such as inflation, rising cost of living, and unemployment. The report notes that these challenges have been further exacerbated by the reimposition of U.S. sanctions and have affected the most vulnerable groups, which include minorities.
  • The report further notes that the economic deterioration from sanctions have had secondary impact on access to basic human rights services, such as education and health.
  • The flooding disaster from early spring has also contributed to economic hardship, with severe damage to infrastructure, housing, livestock and agriculture. The floods have negatively impacted millions of Iranians.
  • The political situation is linked to increased repression and restrictions on basic rights, such as expression, press, and right to a fair trial.
    • While the report notes a sharp decrease in executions in 2018 due to a change in law related to drug offenses, Iran’s execution rate is still one of the highest in the world and is especially appalling for including child offenders.
    • The report also shows increased arrests of dual and foreign nationals, human rights lawyers, human rights activists, journalists, and workers assembling for legal protest.
  • In the case of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities, the Special Rapporteur has raised concerns over disproportionate targeting for political activism, executions related to national-security charges, and discriminatory practices in business and employment.
    • One issue leading to such discriminatory practices is rooted in the legal framework of the constitution, which only recognizes Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians as religious minorities. Under this legal structure, conversion from Islam is also prohibited.
    • These inequitable practices have an impact on the daily life of minorities, for instance in the case of inheritance, in which non-Muslims cannot inherent from Muslims.
    • The case of Baha’is in Iran is especially concerning as they do not have protected status and have often been the targets of discriminatory practices. Baha’is are the largest unrecognized minority group in Iran, which the report estimates at about 350,000 people. The treatment of Baha’is goes beyond discriminatory practices, wherein Baha’is face constant persecution.
    • The report also notes the legal prejudice against the Iranian LGBTQ community, by highlighting not only the criminalization of same-sex relations, but the use of the death penalty in some cases.
    • The Rapporteur has also expressed his concerns over the legal status and treatment of women, as well as increased repression of women’s rights activists and anti-hijab activists.
    • In the case of ethnic minorities, Iranian Arab Ahwazis, Kurds, Baluchis, and Azeri Turks, which combined number approximately 30 million people, are sometimes subjected to discriminatory practices and are among the hardest hit by economic troubles.

The Iranian government’s continued repression of basic freedoms and discriminatory practices on the basis of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and religion must be condemned. While the work of the UN Special Rapporteur is a welcome and needed step, more must be done to bring Iran into the international community so that it can be held accountable for its deplorable actions against its citizens.

August 22, 2019 Comments are off Mana Mostatabi
Share:

United Nations Special Rapporteur Report on Human Rights in Iran

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 and analysis of Javaid Rehman’s report. The full text of the report can be found here. 

  • The flash floods in March-April 2019 devastated millions of Iranians, resulting in everything from displacement to infrastructure damage and harm to the agricultural sector.
  • U.S. sanctions have devastated ordinary Iranians, triggered currency devaluation, and suffocated Iranian traders and businesses. This has resulted in increased inflation and austerity, which in turn exacerbated rising unemployment levels, poverty, and further limited the Iranian people’s access to health, education and other basic services.
  • Freedom of expression in Iran remains a major issue, as do violations to the right to life, liberty, due process, and fair trials. The judiciary continues to implement the death penalty, including with regard to child offenders.
  • Human rights activists and defenders, journalists, and women continue to be targeted, intimidated, harassed, and face unjust charges of acting against national security, among other tenuous charges.
  • Iran’s religious and ethnic minorities, including members of the Baha’i, Christian, Azeri, and Kurdish communities, are continually targeted and prevented from fully celebrating their culture, religion, and language.
  • While the number of executions has dropped, Iran still has one of the world’s highest execution rates. Though amending the anti-narcotics law helped to mitigate this, vague, politically driven charges like ‘moharebeh’ that carry the risk of the death penalty continue to exacerbate the issue.
  • Iran’s government must adhere to its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Iran’s government must take seriously the Special Rapporteur’s current and previous recommendations–including his request to enter Iran on monitoring visits.
July 6, 2018 Comments are off NIAC Staff
Share:

NIAC Welcomes Appointment of New Iran Human Rights Rapporteur

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamal Abdi
Phone: 202-386-6408
Email: jabdi@niacouncil.org

Washington, D.C. – Jamal Abdi, Vice President for Policy of the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement welcoming the appointment of Dr. Javaid Rehman as the next UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran:

“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. The recent arrest of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer who had previously been unjustly imprisoned in Iran, underscores the continuing failure of Iran to live up to its international obligations and the need for Dr. Rehman to pick up on the important work of his predecessors. The Special Rapporteur position had been vacant following the tragic passing of the last Special Rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, in February.

“NIAC was a key supporter of the reestablishment of the Special Rapporteur mandate in 2011 and has supported its subsequent extension in recent years. The reports produced by the Special Rapporteurs have helped document human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, discriminatory treatment of women and religious minorities, and deeply concerning executions. These balanced reports provide an important opportunity for the Rapporteur, backed by the UN and broader international community, to press Iran to abide by the recommendations of the report and move toward compliance with its human rights obligations.

“It is ironic that the appointment of Dr. Rehman follows the withdrawal of the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council just last month. Rather than work through multilateral mechanisms that have proven successful at pressuring and engaging Iran, the Trump administration has chosen to isolate itself and reduce its leverage. Fortunately, the work of the Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran will continue in spite of this administration’s preference for unilateral demands over patient and good-faith multilateral diplomacy.

“We urge Iran to comply with the requests of Dr. Rehman, including any requests for meetings with Iranian officials and visits to the country. Moreover, we urge Iran to fully implement the recommendations of Dr. Rehman and past reports.”

###

October 27, 2014 Comments are off NIAC Statement
Share:

NIAC Statement on Human Rights Report, Executions and Acid Attacks in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamal Abdi
Phone: 202-386-6325
Email: jabdi@niacouncil.org 

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.