wfn.org | Baha'i news: UN gives final approval to resolution criticizing rights violations in Iran

[Sally Weeks <sweeks@bwc.org>]

>Baha'i World News Service
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UN gives final approval to resolution criticizing rights violations in Iran

UNITED NATIONS, 18 December (BWNS) - The United Nations General Assembly ga ve its final stamp of approval today to a strongly worded resolution condem ning Iran for a long list of human rights violations.

By a vote of 74 to 49, with 59 abstentions, the General Assembly confirmed  an earlier vote by its Third Committee in November on a resolution that exp resses "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violatio ns in the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Commun ity to the United Nations, said the resolution sends a stern message to Ira n.

"Day by day, human rights continue to deteriorate in Iran," said Ms. Dugal.  "This vote matters very much because the General Assembly has now fully, c learly, and powerfully expressed itself over Iran's flagrant abuse of human  rights.

"Our hope is that the government will heed this call and begin to respect t he universally recognized rights of its citizens.

"As a first step to that, Iran could allow independent UN special rapporte urs into their country, as called for by the resolution," she said.

The list of violations outlined this year was among the most extensive in s ome 25 years of UN resolutions on human rights in Iran.

Specifically, the resolution expresses concern about oppressive measures ta ken after the June presidential election, the use of torture, the repeated  abuse of legal rights, the violent repression of women, and "increasing dis crimination" against minority groups, including "Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, K urds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and their defenders."

It makes extensive mention of the persecution of Baha'is, expressing concer n over "attacks on Baha'is and their faith in State-sponsored media, increa sing evidence of efforts by the State to identify, monitor and arbitrarily  detain Baha'is, preventing members of the Baha'i Faith from attending unive rsity and from sustaining themselves economically."

The resolution also expresses concern over the continued detention of seven  Baha'i leaders who were arrested in March and May 2008, stating they have  faced "serious charges without adequate or timely access to legal represent ation."

Ms. Dugal noted that attorneys for the seven were recently informed their t rial has now been set for 12 January 2010. Two earlier trial dates for the  seven had been set but were postponed for various reasons.

"This year's resolution points out the degree to which Iran has abused the  legal process and denied many of their citizens the right to a fair trial.

"We therefore remain gravely concerned about the likely trial of these seve n innocent Baha'is, who have been wrongly accused and improperly held. The  charges against them are utterly baseless, and they should be released imme diately," said Ms. Dugal.

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