Jun 17, 2014

UNPO Condemns Minority Rights Violations in Iran At UNHRC


UNPO, together with several other organizations, raised the issue of the grave violations of minority right in Iran, on Friday June 13 at the United Nations in Geneva. While President Rouhani had made commitments to improve the overall minority rights protection, the situation has only deteriorated. UNPO condemns the increase in executions, and asks the international community to not lose sight of the grave human rights situation in Iran in the negotiations on the nuclear issue.

On the 13 of June, on the occasion of the 26th session of the Human Rights Council meeting in the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) participated in a side-event organized by the Mouvement Contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP) and the Zagros Human Rights Centre.

Mr. Taimoor Aliassi, a representative of the Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva, discussed the overall difficult situation Kurds face in Iran, characterised by discrimination and poverty, which leads many Kurds to work as border couriers to make an income for their families. Mr. Aliassi also discussed the minority rights policy of President Rouhani, who is entering his 2nd year as president. He made commitments to improve the rights of minorities, both during his campaign and after he took office. However, the situation did not improve, in fact it only got worse. For instance, during his election campaign, Mr. Rouhani made ten written commitments to promote the rights of persons belonging to ethnic minorities in Iran, but none of these commitments were carried out as promised. Mr. Aliassi stated that out of the 63 prisoners executed in the last 50 days, 21 belonged to the Kurdish minority. He condemned these excessive executions of Kurdish and Arab activists.

Two Ahwazi activists, Mr. Yasin Mousavi and Mr. Ali Chebeshat, have been executed (the news of this was confirmed on Thursday June 12), while they were innocent and had committed no crime, as Mr. Karim Abdian, the president of the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, stated. He gave his condolences to the families of the activists, adding that the whole world should know about their unjust execution.  Mr. Abdian also discussed Mr. Rouhani’s ten commitments. One of those commitments was the immediate implementation of article 15 of the constitution, which allows non-Persian language and specifically Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish and Baloch to be taught in schools in non-Persian regions and provinces. He also promised that non-Persian cultures and literature were to be respected and tolerated, along with the dominant Persian culture. After one year of his presidency, nothing improved for minorities yet. Instead, we are witnessing a 20% increase in execution rates compared to Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

Not only have more people been executed, the scope of executions has widened as well. A penal code was passed  by the Majlis in May 2013, in which article 279, under the title ‘rebels’ allows an increase in executions for charges of ‘Mohareb’ and ‘Mofsed fi Alaraz’, translated as ‘Corruptions on Earth’. Under this new penal code prisoners are executed with no right to appeal. More than 20 Ahwazi-Arab civil right activists have been executed in the past year under this new penal code.

Mr. Abdian added that the Islamic Republic of Iran is now following the same policies of the Pahlavi regime, by promoting the Persian nation as the sole identity. This often times manifests itself in anti-Arab racism. Mr. Abdian condemned the government cleansing policies, which aim at settling Persians in Arab populated areas, leading to the displacement of 1.2 million indigenous Arabs to central Persian provinces. He demanded that Arabs should have their most fundamental human rights respected, without being labeled as ‘separatist’, ‘secessionist’, ‘Wahabis’, ‘stooges of foreign countries’, or a ‘danger to territorial integrity’. Mr. Abdian demanded the West, the P5+1, to not ignore the plight and the human rights of minorities in its negotiations with Iran.

Mr. Golmorad Moradi, president of the Zagros Human Rights Centre, condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for practicing force, discrimination, and executions of ethnic minorities; especially of Kurds, Arabs, and Baloch, who suffer from executions the most, and Azeri, Turkmen, Lor, Persians, as well as religious minorities as Sunnis, Yarsani’s, Baha’i, and Derwishes. Even followers of minority religions which are recognized in the constitution – Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism – face discrimination when it comes to job opportunities and education. Mr. Moradi holds the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for the miserable situation and poverty of many.

Mr. Moradi demanded that Iran dismantles dangerous landmines, dating from the Iran-Iraq war, in addition to the promotion and protection of the right to study in one’s mother tongue. Furthermore, all executions should be stopped immediately.

Mr. Kamal Sido from the Society for Threatened Peoples discussed the living situation and human rights violation of the many ethnic and religious minority that live in Iran.

UNPO discussed the human rights violations against minorities in Iran, including Arabs, Baloch, Azeri, Turkmen, and religious minorities such as Sunnis, Baha’is, and Mandaeans. They face discrimination and violations of their rights in environmental, economical and socio-political fields. UNPO condemns the recent excessive execution against minorities, and demands that the International Community and the United Nations, amid the debates on the nuclear issue, do not lose sight of the urgent need for improving minority and overall human rights in Iran.