Ahmad Shahid: The Research and Interviews Provide a Deeply Disturbing Picture of The Human Rights Situation in Iran
Published by Ali on November 6, 2020
International Liberty Association: The meeting of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Iran was held in New York on Wednesday afternoon (October 24 / November 3).
Ahmad Shahid began his report to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly with sympathy for the victims of the earthquake in Azerbaijan and then expressed his concern about sanction and systematic violation of human rights in Iran.
Ahmad Shahid said that investigating in this regard is possible when the government of the Islamic Republic cooperates with him so that he can conduct his research in this field inside Iran. Ahmad Shahid added that several of his attempts to talk to Iranian officials have failed.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran then summarized his latest report to the Third Committee of the General Assembly, known as the UN Human Rights Committee. He says in the report that the research and interviews provide a deeply disturbing picture of the human rights situation in Iran and that many human rights violations are systematic in nature.
According to the reports, Mr. Shahid, referring to the “widespread atmosphere of fear and intimidation” in Iran, said that Iranian citizens do not have the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly. He added that in the first six months of this year, 19 journalists and 19 bloggers were sent to prison. According to the UN Special Rapporteur, more than 40 Iranian journalists are currently being held in prisons in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Criticizing the new Islamic Penal Code in Iran, Ahmad Shahid said that although there have been changes to the law on stoning, this sentence can still be applied, given the possibility of issuing a fatwa. He pointed to the lack of a fair trial in Iran’s courts and criticized long-term solitary confinement, saying that in many cases prisoners did not have access to a lawyer.
Ahmad Shahid referred to the prisoner’s lawyers and said that he was concerned about the situation of Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is currently on a hunger strike. Referring to Ms. Sotoudeh’s son being banned from leaving the country, he mentioned the imprisonment of Abdolfattah Soltani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah and other human rights lawyers.
ILA: At the end of his speech, the UN Special Rapporteur pointed to the existence of a culture of impunity for officials and authorities in Iran and said that lack of accountability and transparency in this area is one of the main bases of human rights violations in Iran.
