wfn.org | Baha'i news: UN report on Iran cites rights abuses

[Sally Weeks <sweeks@bwc.org>]

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Secretary general of UN releases report criticizing human rights abuses in  Iran

UNITED NATIONS, 15 October (BWNS) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yester day expressed strong criticism of Iran's human rights record, voicing conce rn about the use of excessive force after Iran's presidential election, the  harassment of women's rights activists, the ongoing execution of juveniles , and the continued persecution of minorities, including Baha'is.

In a 19-page report written specifically to address a request made last Dec ember from the UN General Assembly about human rights in Iran, Mr. Ban said  there have been "negative developments" in the area of civil and political  rights since 2008.

The year saw "an increase in human rights violations targeting women, unive rsity students, teachers, workers and other activist groups, particularly i n the aftermath of the elections," Mr. Ban said.

"Members of various ethnic and minority groups faced harassment, violence a nd, in some cases, persecution," he added, noting that "a pattern of concer n arises with respect to the protection of minorities, including the Baha'i  community, the Arab minority in Khuzestan, the Nematollahi Sufi Muslim com munity, the Kurdish community, the Sunni community, the Baluchi community,  and the Azeri-Turk community."

The report made specific mention of seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders who wer e arrested in the spring of 2008 and have since been held in Evin prison, n oting that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has written to Iran "o n numerous occasions to express concern and seek clarification" about the s tatus of the seven.

Mr. Ban also noted that during the year reports "continued to be received a bout members of the Baha'i community being subjected to arbitrary detention , confiscation of property and denial of employment, government benefits, a nd access to higher education."

The report, which was dated 23 September 2009 but actually released yesterd ay, focused extensively on the government's response to post-election prote sts. It noted that Mr. Ban himself had on 22 June issued a statement "expre ssing dismay at the post-election violence, particularly the use of force a gainst civilians, which had led to the loss of life and injuries."

That statement, the report noted, called on the authorities to respect fund amental civil and political rights, especially freedom of expression, freed om of assembly, and freedom of information. It also called for an immediate  stop to the arrests, threats, and use of force. Yet, the report noted, a s pokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the following day that he re jected the secretary general's statement.

Like a similar report he issued last year, Mr. Ban also took note of report s of Iran's continuing execution of juveniles, reports of the use of tortur e, and the oppression of women's rights activists.

"I encourage the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to address the  concerns highlighted in the report and to continue to revise national laws,  particularly the new penal code and juvenile justice laws, to ensure compl iance with international human rights standards and prevent discriminatory  practices against women, ethnic and religious minorities, and other minorit y groups," he said in the report's conclusion.

Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Commun ity to the United Nations said Mr. Ban's report was extremely welcome - and  timely.

"Although Mr. Ban has praised Iran for some developments, such as governmen t's pursuit of the redistribution of wealth and poverty reduction, overall  the report is quite damning," said Ms. Dugal. "He also makes a number of su ggestions about how Iran could make a constructive response, such as by ope ning the country to visits by special UN human rights monitors, and we sinc erely hope that Iran will heed his call.

"Mr. Ban paints a grim picture of the situation in Iran, clearly indicating  that the human rights situation has worsened since his report last year. O ur hope, therefore, is that the UN General Assembly will again adopt a reso lution this year urging Iran to live up its international human rights obli gations."

To read the story on the BWNS Web site, and access a link to the report, pl ease go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/732