On 28 March this year I reported some good news in the ‘crime-should-not-pay series”: the UN decided to finally establish an Iran investigator. But that joy seems to have been a bit premature as Iran has now announced that it will not permit the UN special rapporteur assigned with investigating its record of human rights to enter the country. Ahmad Shaheed, a former foreign affairs minister of the Maldives, was appointed by the UN as the monitor in June. According to the Tehran Times, a government sponsored English-language newspaper, Mohammad Javad Larijani, Iran’s secretary general of the high council for human rights, said: “The western-engineered appointment of a special rapporteur for Iran is an illegal measure”, adding that “this unilateral action makes no sense and if they want to send a special rapporteur to Iran, they should take the same measure in the case of other countries.”
The appointment of the rapporteur was the result of concerted warnings by various human rights organisations against Iran’s current record of human rights. In recent years, rights groups have expressed concerns over the arbitrary arrests of political activists, the sharp rise in the country’s rate of execution and claims of torture and rape inside Iran’s prisons. According to the organisations that have been monitoring Iran, in the first six months of this year an average of almost two people a day were executed. Dozens of journalists, several lawyers, political activists, members of different ethnic minorities and many political figures remain in jail with poor legal representation and little access to the outside world (see e.g. my blog from yesterday on the position of Norway). In his remarks about Shaheed, Larijani objected that the countries behind the appointment of the special rapporteur had remained silent over the human rights issues surrounding “Guantánamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and Israeli jails”. “Iran has no problem with the individual who has been appointed as the special rapporteur, but the appointment of a rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran is unacceptable and Iran will not accept the decision,” he added.
The big question remains whether the systematic non-cooperation by Iran and similar regimes pays in the end or not. It would be of little use to make new norms or procedures if the most basic existing ones can be flaunted.
For more details see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/18/iran-refuses-un-human-rights
Archive for the 'human rights' Category
Iran: non-cooperation with the UN seems to be the norm
July 20, 2011Norway bravely criticizes Iran for persecution of human rights defenders
July 19, 2011
On 13 July 2011 the State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gry Larsen, commented in very clear terms on the situation in Iran, saying inter alia: “Iran’s groundless persecution of people connected to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi’s Defenders of Human Rights Center give cause for serious concern.”
A number of Iranian lawyers have recently been given, or can expect to be given, severe prison sentences. Two of the founders of the Human Rights Centre set up by Shirin Ebadi, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah and Mohammad Seifzadeh, have been sentenced to nine and two years’ imprisonment respectively. Another prominent lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani is still waiting for his case to be tried more than two years after he was arrested, and Shirin Ebadi’s own lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment earlier this year.
“The legal proceedings against these lawyers seem to have focused solely on their work to promote and defend human rights in Iran. They are in violation of both national and international principles of the rule of law. For example, the defendants were denied proper legal assistance,” said Ms Larsen.
The Iranian authorities have systematically persecuted people connected to the Defenders of Human Rights Center and confiscated property and materials relating to their work over a period of time in an attempt to stop the centre’s activities.
“Norway urges Iran to fulfil its obligations under international human rights conventions. We particularly urge Iran to stop its campaign against the Defenders of Human Rights Center and to safeguard the rights of people who are themselves working diligently to promote the rule of law in the country,” said Ms Larsen.
Groundless prison sentences for human rights defenders in Iran.
Human Rights First to podcast human rights stories on iTunes
July 19, 2011Human rights and new media being one on my main interest, readers will not be surprised that I am happy to promote the launch of ‘FirstCast‘, by HRF (Human Rights First). It is an audio podcast on iTunes which plans to bring compelling human rights stories from around the world as. This week’s FirstCast features Shehrbano Taseer, the daughter of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer who was assassinated by his bodyguard for publicly condemning the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Shehrbano is continuing her father’s work and has become an international voice for the victims of extremism and religious intolerance.
Subscribing is easy: from FirstCast page, launch iTunes on your desktop by clicking “View in iTunes.” Once the iTunes app opens, you’ll see our page with all of our podcasts. Under the Human Rights First logo, click “Subscribe Free.” And voila! You’re all set. You can also listen to past shows about the ongoing crackdown in Bahrain, LGBTI rights in Uganda, and the return of the torture debate post-Bin Laden.
If there are any question please address them to Sharon Kelly McBride, HRF’s Communications Director
Human Rights Awards can get it really wrong
July 16, 2011As chair of a human rights award I report this event mostly because I want to remember to be careful. No glee!
The Werkstatt Deutschland organisation had planned to give Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the private Quadriga Award that recognises “role models for enlightenment, dedication and the public good.” Under immense pressure the Quadriga Panel has now revoked its decision. The Quadriga panel voiced “great regret” that it is was forced to retract the prize, but said “the growing pressure was becoming increasingly unsustainable and risked escalating further”. According to AFP, former Czech president Vaclav Havel, who received the same award in 2009, welcomed the German panel’s decision: “The award should be given to people like Anna Politkovskaya or Sergei Kovalov or Liu Xiaobo — people who devoted their lives to protection of human rights and freedoms and promoting democracy”. The prize has been awarded every year since 2003 on October 3, the anniversary of German unification.
Cyprus: Charges against human rights defender Doros Polykarpou | Front Line
July 12, 2011
From the NGO Front Line comes the following case. As I am a resident of Greece and many if not most Greeks show unashamedly open sympathy for the Cypriots, I wonder what they make of this (follow the link below):
Cyprus: Charges against human rights defender Doros Polykarpou | Front Line.
From the Sri Lanka Guardian: The problems of human rights defenders under repressive states
June 29, 2011Sri Lanka Guardian: The problems of human rights defenders under repressive states.
A long but excellent piece by Basil Fernando, one of the most experienced HRDs in Asia
Human Rights Defenders and LGBT persons
June 29, 2011Most of you will have noticed that on 17 June 2011 the UN Human Rights Council (on the last day of its session) adopted a exceptional resolution dedicated to advancing the basic and fundamental human rights of LGBT persons (stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered). This historic vote marked a major victory for defenders of human rights, not just the gay movement. It sent a clear message that abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity must end. And for the first time ever, it commissioned a UN report to investigate the challenges that LGBT persons face. The vote marks the beginningsof universal recognition that LGBT persons are endowed with the same inalienable rights as all human beings and entitled to the same protections as all human beings, but it will be a long struggle especially if one sees how small margin of the ‘victory’ in the UN was: despite opposition from Russia as well as many African and Arab countries, the resolution passed narrowly, with a final tally of 23 to 19, with three abstentions. South Africa was the country that submitted the resolution to the Human Rights Council, and the country’s delegate, Jerry Matthews Matjila, presented the resolution saying: “The resolution before us today does not seek to impose values on other states” …”It seeks to initiate a dialogue which will contribute to us ending discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Only one month before, in May, the UN NGO Committee voted to deny UN accreditation to the Belgium-based International Lesbian and Gay Association. ECOSOC this July could overturn that decision overturn.
MEA 2011 Laureate Kasha – a Lesbian Human Rights Defender from Uganda – and her colleagues around the world still have a hard long road ahead of them.
Italian award to life-long Human Rights Defender from Vietnam
June 27, 2011The FIDH in Paris reported that Dr. Vo Van Ai, a life-long independent Vietnamese human rights defender, has been awarded the 2011 Special Prize for Freedom (Premio Speciale alla Liberta) by the Italian organisation Società Libera. The Prize was presented in Lucca on June 24, 2011. Dr. Vo is the President and founder of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR), a member organization of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). The Vietnam Committee aims to monitor human rights in Vietnam, mobilise support for victims of human rights abuses and promote efforts to advance democracy in Vietnam. The Special Prize is a deserving recognition of Dr. Vo’s tireless efforts to demand greater respect and protection of human rights and to lend a strong voice to the silent majority in Viet Nam where the mere exercise of, and aspirations for, fundamental freedoms is stifled or, even worse, criminalised, the FIDH added.
test – please ignore
June 21, 2011please ignore this message
Emad Baghi, Laureate 2009 of the Martin Ennals Award, released from prison
June 21, 2011Yesterday we received the good news that Emad Baghi (Iran), MEA Laureate 2009, has been released from prison. He had started a hunger strike again which may have contributed to him having been released ‘normally’ at the end of his one-year term.
With the liberation of Muhannad Al-Hassani (Syria) on 3 June, this is most encouraging news and the postcard campaign for them is suspended for the time being.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 