The Iranian authorities must seize the opportunity presented by a change
of leadership to fulfil the aspirations of many Iranians and undertake a
complete overhaul of human rights in the country, said Amnesty
International ahead of the inauguration of the new President this weekend.
Hassan Rouhani, the 64-year old cleric who has been described as a
moderate, will be sworn in as President on Sunday 4 August 2013. Amnesty
International has published a set of recommendations to the Iranian
authorities, setting out a road map to address the abysmal human rights
situation in the country.
«For too long Iran has failed to live up to its human rights obligations
under domestic and international law. After years of repression and
international isolation, the Iranian authorities must stop posturing and
acknowledge the severity of human rights violations in the country,” said
Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the
Middle East and North Africa.
«Hassan Rouhani and the Iranian authorities can no longer ignore people’s
demands for their rights to be respected. The hopes of Iranians must not
be crushed yet again. The inauguration must be used as an opportunity to
desist from hateful practices such as discrimination, torture, arbitrary
detention and unfair trials which can lead to death sentences”.
Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to uphold the
rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly for everyone.
The organization is also calling for provisions of Iran’s Penal Code that
infringe on such freedoms to be repealed or amended.
“Iranians chanted the names of opposition leaders under house arrest upon
the announcement of the election results. As a first step, all prisoners
of conscience, jailed solely for peacefully exercising their rights, must
be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
Opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, along with
Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, herself a political activist, have been
held under unofficial house arrest since February 2011 and must also be
released.
Undue restrictions on the media, telecommunications services, as well as
on the activities of NGOs and trade unions must also be revoked.
During his electoral campaign, Hassan Rouhani made a number of pledges
that could improve Iran’s dire human rights records. Among these was a
plan to issue a «civil rights charter» calling for the equality of all
citizens.
Amnesty International is urging the Iranian authorities to amend or
abolish all laws and practices that discriminate on the basis of race,
colour, religion, ethnicity, gender or other status.
The incoming President has also made several promises to improve women’s
rights. Amnesty International is calling for the authorities to repeal or
amend all laws that discriminate against women, including any laws that
place restrictions on women’s access to work or education. A comprehensive
law that protects women against all forms of violence must also be
introduced.
For many years students have been repressed, imprisoned and denied their
right to education. The right to higher education must be based on merit
alone without discrimination on grounds of sex, ethnicity, nationality,
religious beliefs or any other status. The new administration must take
steps to guarantee that all students and lecturers who have been
arbitrarily banned from studying or teaching are allowed to resume their
previous roles.
Over the past decades, the routine use of torture and other ill-treatment
by security forces has been a hallmark of the way the Iranian authorities
operate. A clear stance that such abuses will no longer be tolerated is
needed. The definition of torture as a criminal offence must be clarified
under Iranian law. Iran’s revised Islamic Penal Code, which still allows
for the application of corporal punishment, including flogging and
amputation, as well as stoning for adultery must also be amended.
Iran remains one of the most prolific executioners in the world. The
authorities must take concrete steps to abolish the death penalty, in
particular, for juvenile offenders
Urgent reforms to the criminal justice system, guaranteeing the
independence of the judiciary and ensuring fair trials for all Iranians,
must also be prioritised. The use of televised forced “confessions” must
end.
All human rights violations must be independently investigated and those
responsible held accountable for their actions. As an immediate step to
signal a change in policies, Iranian authorities must allow UN human
rights experts and NGOs including Amnesty International to visit Iran.
The international community must also assess the human rights impact of
sanctions and ensure they are not contributing to violations of the
economic and social rights of people in Iran.
“Unless concrete changes are made immediately, the change of leadership
will simply be a squandered opportunity,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
