AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Iran ‘Shows Contempt’ for Human Rights by Rejecting U.N. Recommendations, Says Amnesty International
(Washington,DC)– Amnesty International today criticized Iran for rejecting important recommendations by the United Nations to improve human rights in the country.
The recommendations rejected by Iran include: ending the execution of juvenile offenders, upholding fair trial guarantees, releasing people detained for peacefully exercising their human rights and investigating torture allegations, including rape.
While accepting a recommendation to cooperate with U.N.’s human rights experts, Iran rejected several others to allow the Council’s Special Rapporteur on torture to visit the country.
The delegation accepted the recommendation to respect freedom of religion but rejected a recommendation to end discrimination against the Bahai’s.
“By rejecting specific recommendations made by dozens of countries the Iranian authorities showed contempt for international obligations just as they have done in their treatment of their own people,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Amnesty International.
“By promising to consider recommendations to eliminate the execution of juvenile offenders, the Iranian authorities are cynically camouflaging their existing obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child not to execute juvenile offending,” said Hadj Sahraoui.
The U.N.’s Human Rights Council in Geneva has been reviewing Iran’s human rights record where the Iran delegation responded to a series of recommendations put to them by other U.N. member states.
The delegation accepted 123 recommendations, reserved its position on 20 others and rejected 45 recommendations.
Amnesty International is perplex by the numerous contradictions between recommendations accepted and those rejected.
Iran has said it is carrying out investigations into cases of torture and killing that occurred following the unrest that occurred following the presidential election in June 2009.
However, despite reports of parliamentary investigations, no one appears to have been brought to justice over the killing of Neda Agha Soltan, a peaceful demonstrator who was shot in a street in June 2009, or Mohsen Ruholamini, who died in custody in July 2009.
The country’s authorities also said they would strengthen cooperation with human rights organizations, yet they have failed to respond to repeated requests by Amnesty International to meet with members of the Iranian delegation.
”For human rights to really improve in Iran, the authorities must end the double-speak and take concrete measures, like ending the execution of juvenile offenders; ensure fair trials; halt torture and end impunity for all violations,” said Hadj Sahraoui.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied
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