Human Rights are not a Political Tool
A Talk with Narges Mohammadi - 2008.06.19
Narges Mohammadi is the spokeswoman for the Iranian-based Center for the Defense of Human Rights group. She went to Geneva last week to participate in a conference on human rights abuses in Iran, where she exchanged views with other human rights activists. We talked with her about her views.
Rooz (R): What was the purpose for participating at the Geneva meeting?Narges Mohammadi (NM): In December of 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution over Iran’s violations of human rights, the Assembly expressed its concerns about the situation in Iran and tasked the Secretary General to prepare a report on this. Human rights defenders believe that the report must be based on documented evidence and investigation conducted by the Secretary General over the situation in Iran. But since independent human rights organizations cannot send their representatives to Iran, because the government prevents them from coming to Iran, as do other governments such as those in Burma, Syria, Cuba, four work groups (in the fields of unilateral arrests, violence against women, national and ethnic minorities, and, executions) were created and hosted a meeting on the subject in Geneva. Then a session was arranged for Iranian human rights activists to present their case at the UN headquarters in Geneva which focused on the legal impediments on implementing and respecting human rights in Iran. At the same time, disregard for law by parts of the Iranian government which leads to a weakening of human rights was another issue that was discussed at the gathering.
R: When UN human rights reporters are not permitted to go to Iran, how does the UN Secretary General expect to roundup his report for September?NM: He is responsible to provide a report and the participants of this gathering demanded that his report must be based on real investigations of the situation in Iran, something that has unfortunately not been done. This is the reason that these work groups wanted to meet with us.
R: Since you live in Iran and work in the field of human rights, are you not concerned that your participation here will displease the authorities in Iran?NM: Our area of work is human rights and this is an international sphere and not confined to a specific geographic area of the globe, or a particular country. Just as Iran can protest about the human rights situation in Palestine, any human rights group in Iran can take a position on human rights conditions anywhere in the world. This also true for Iran. In any case, the Secretary General must present his report to the UN General Assembly about Iran. Our position is what we have published at the Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran.
R: Some argue that protesting against the human rights situation in Iran at international organizations may provide an excuse for those who are militarily threatening Iran. What do you think?NM: We do not believe that human rights and democracy should be used as political instruments by major powers, and that both of these can be attained only in a free environment where the human being enjoys dignity and respect. This is the reason why our center is engaged in two goals: one is to promote peace and work against war, and the other is over violations of human rights, which are not contradictory in nature.
A Talk with Narges Mohammadi - 2008.06.19
Narges Mohammadi is the spokeswoman for the Iranian-based Center for the Defense of Human Rights group. She went to Geneva last week to participate in a conference on human rights abuses in Iran, where she exchanged views with other human rights activists. We talked with her about her views.
Rooz (R): What was the purpose for participating at the Geneva meeting?Narges Mohammadi (NM): In December of 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution over Iran’s violations of human rights, the Assembly expressed its concerns about the situation in Iran and tasked the Secretary General to prepare a report on this. Human rights defenders believe that the report must be based on documented evidence and investigation conducted by the Secretary General over the situation in Iran. But since independent human rights organizations cannot send their representatives to Iran, because the government prevents them from coming to Iran, as do other governments such as those in Burma, Syria, Cuba, four work groups (in the fields of unilateral arrests, violence against women, national and ethnic minorities, and, executions) were created and hosted a meeting on the subject in Geneva. Then a session was arranged for Iranian human rights activists to present their case at the UN headquarters in Geneva which focused on the legal impediments on implementing and respecting human rights in Iran. At the same time, disregard for law by parts of the Iranian government which leads to a weakening of human rights was another issue that was discussed at the gathering.
R: When UN human rights reporters are not permitted to go to Iran, how does the UN Secretary General expect to roundup his report for September?NM: He is responsible to provide a report and the participants of this gathering demanded that his report must be based on real investigations of the situation in Iran, something that has unfortunately not been done. This is the reason that these work groups wanted to meet with us.
R: Since you live in Iran and work in the field of human rights, are you not concerned that your participation here will displease the authorities in Iran?NM: Our area of work is human rights and this is an international sphere and not confined to a specific geographic area of the globe, or a particular country. Just as Iran can protest about the human rights situation in Palestine, any human rights group in Iran can take a position on human rights conditions anywhere in the world. This also true for Iran. In any case, the Secretary General must present his report to the UN General Assembly about Iran. Our position is what we have published at the Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran.
R: Some argue that protesting against the human rights situation in Iran at international organizations may provide an excuse for those who are militarily threatening Iran. What do you think?NM: We do not believe that human rights and democracy should be used as political instruments by major powers, and that both of these can be attained only in a free environment where the human being enjoys dignity and respect. This is the reason why our center is engaged in two goals: one is to promote peace and work against war, and the other is over violations of human rights, which are not contradictory in nature.
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6:42 PM
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