UN Human Rights Council : FIDH and LDDHI welcome the report presented by the Special Rapporteur on Iran

Following the conclusion of yesterday’s interactive dialogue on Iran at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, FIDH and its Iranian member organisation LDDHI welcome the report presented by the Special Rapporteur on Iran while expressing deep concern for the dire human rights situation within the country.

Yesterday’s report constitutes the Special Rapporteur’s first submission to the Human Rights Council since assuming his functions in August 2011 and catalogues violations in areas as diverse as women’s rights to the treatment of ethnic minorities. Noting that Iran had refused to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, FIDH vice-president and LDDHI director Karim Lahidji remarked that Iran had “wasted yet another opportunity to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms, as well as to improve upon a human rights record that has only deteriorated since the rigged June 2009 elections.”Reacting to the Special Rapporteur’s findings, the international community was for the most part unforgiving in its criticisms of Iran. Mexico noticed the lack of progress on the ground, while Brazil invoked the "international community’s opinion" and shared its concerns regarding persecution suffered by religious minorities. The few dissenting voices, criticizing the very existence of the mandate, came from the representatives of Syria, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Cuba, Zimbabwe and a few other countries, infamous for their own human rights records and for some under the scrutiny of the Council. Following the criticisms aired by states towards Iran, FIDH vice-president Karim Lahidji remarked that “today’s interactive dialogue unequivocally painted a picture of an increasingly isolated Iranian regime, almost universally condemned”. At the end of his report, the Special Rapporteur made a number of recommendations and conclusions based on his findings. While restating his call for the Iranian government to allow him access to the country, the Rapporteur noted that the government’s refusal to do so “only encourages the international community to imagine the worst”. [1] The report also called on Iran “to immediately release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience”, “consider a moratorium on the death penalty for all crimes”, “prohibit the execution of juveniles” and repeal domestic legislation contravening “international human rights standards.” FIDH and LDDHI both welcome and fully support all the Rapporteur’s conclusions and hope that the next report to the Council will follow a country visit.

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