Skip to main content

Reporting on the situation on the field


Co-operating with the Iranian authorities to guarantee basic human rights to all is not an easy job.
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Ahmed Shaheed has experienced it very often. Since the creation of the mandate (in 2011) by the United Nations Human Rights Council, Dr Shaheed hasn’t been allowed to visit the country and undertake field research and make reports with the locals. Although many countries called on Iran to co-operate with the United Nations Special Procedures, and follow up on the requests of visits of Special Rapporteurs, the country still continues to refuse any kind of partnership or support. 

(Source: shaheedoniran.org)
 Therefore, Dr Shaheed has followed the evolution of human rights in Iran with the help of his Special Rapporteur colleagues and other sources and means. This was also the case in relation to his latest report, released in early March. As he highlights, “information for the present report was gathered during a fact-finding mission to Germany, Norway and Denmark, during which 39 interviews were conducted with victims and activists within the Iranian diaspora.” More than hundred, further interviews were conducted with people in Iran, by telephone and video-conferencing. As Dr Shaheed explains, he also “reviewed information contained in open letters, confidential communications; news reports and broadcasts produced by domestic media outlets in the country; official statements [..]” and so on.

In the report, Dr Shaheed recognises a number of efforts by the Iranian government to implement the 2010 UPR commitments, but regrets that a majority of them remained outstanding. Beside describing his findings, the Special Rapporteur elaborates several recommendations. Amongst other things, he recommends that:

“Authorities should immediately nullify the death sentences against all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience [..] and others, whose alleged actions do not constitute a serious crime under international law.”
“The Government should amend laws and policies, and reconsider draft legislation that infringes on the right to freely associate and assemble with expressive groups or like-minded individuals, or to promote peaceful ideals and activities.”
He also “calls on the Government to amend laws that violate the rights of women, or that undermine their full enjoyment of civil, political, social, and economic rights, including the right to work and to freedom from discrimination, especially in education and at the workplace.”

Not surprisingly, the report was not welcome among Iranian officials. The Spokeswoman of Iran's Foreign Ministry described the report by the UN Special Rapporteur as “unfair and unscientific”, saying that the report is politically-motivated. She noted that, “The issue of human right should be viewed quite technically, and our country’s progress and realities should be seriously noticed.”

Popular posts from this blog

Hidden from critical view: the disappeared of Cameroon

As the number of military personnel deployed to fight Boko Haram in the Far North Region of Cameroon has increased, the number of people detained without trial on suspicion of supporting the armed group has gone up, as well. Families and communities torn apart Since 2014, Cameroon’s security forces have arrested hundreds of people without charge during security operations. One man from the village of Double told us how security forces raided the village in search of suspected Boko Haram fighters: “Early in the morning, we heard gunshots and thought it was Boko Haram. We were scared and fled to the bush; then people called us to say it wasn’t Boko Haram, but the security forces, so we came back thinking we were safe. However, to our great surprise, those forces made us suffer even more than Boko Haram.” During this operation carried out in Double and in the neighbouring community, Magdeme, nine people were killed and more than 200 boys and men arbitrar...

Educating the Western youth

In a rare occasion to reach out to the West without pure condemnation, Iran’s Supreme Leader sent an important message to the American and European youth . The aim of the letter was to stress that the Islam they know is based on a forged concept and doesn’t reflect the reality. Therefore, Ayatollah Khamenei encouraged the younger generation in the West to do research and get firsthand information on the religion. www.wsj.com In his letter, Mr Khamenei asks youngsters whether they “ have directly read the Qur’an of the Muslims .” He goes on by questioning: “Have you ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?” Moreover, the Iranian leader calls on the youth to ask themselves “why the old policy of spreading ‘phobia’ and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. [..] What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam...

How should Cameroon fight Boko Haram?

The Cameroonian security forces don't take into account how many lives they sacrifice when it comes to eradicating the Islamist group, Boko Haram. Amnesty International revealed in its new report that t he military offensive against Boko Haram has resulted in widespread human rights violations against civilians in the Far North region of the country. During search-and-cordon operations, security forces  often arrest people on the basis of very little information or assumptions and sometimes they detain whole groups. In February 2015 for example,  in Kossa,  32 men were arrested based on accusations that the village was providing food to Boko Haram. Most were later released, but one man died in custody. After being arrested, people are far too often held incommunicado at illegal detention sites in military bases, before being transferred to the official prisons. And, as Amnesty International learnt, in secret detention, torture is not a rare method to encoura...