Aadel Collection
Announcement of the formation of the International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran
INTERNATIONAL. COMMITTEE FOR' THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN 61 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10006 FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1981 10:00 A.M. (New:York, N.Y. ...) A group of Americans who have worked extensively for the cause of' human', rights during theirpublic careers announced today (Monday, December i4, 1981) at-a New York press conference the formation :of the.international Committee for th&Defense of Human Rights inlran.-. The Committee is being organized ‘to bring to the attention -Qf appropriate international. organizations and Member States'of the-United Nations'cofltiflUiflg reports of alleged human rights violations in Iran. . .... .: ‘ - ‘The spokesman for the gràup, former- AnibassadOr William J. ‘vanden Heuvel, said, “None of us can be silent in the face • of the continuing, reports of arbitrary executions, torture and . destruction of Individual rights as reported from'Iran. ‘More than 3,350 Iranians have been executed since the 1979 Revolution.. The reports indicate that not even women and children are spared the brutairepresSioflof the Khomeini çeqi ne.. We believe there are international standards clearly set ‘forth in the. United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which compel ‘us to do everything possible to cause the United Nations and its Member States to assume responsibility, hopefully to bring - an end to the terror and bloodshed which are now part of Iran's daily. existence.” . ‘ . - At its first public meeting, members of the International Committee spoke about reported human rights violations in Iran - and the steps the Committee intends to undertake. Apart from Ambassador vanden Heuvel , who is the former, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Committee members ‘include': - Hon. Morris B Abram , ‘former US. Representative of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; - MORE - . . •BP000 152
lion. Rita Hauser , former U.S. Representative of theUnited Nations • Human Rights Commission; Hon. Phi1ip Hoffman , Former U.S. Representative of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; • Professor' Richard B. Lillich , Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the International Law Association; Professor Leland Miles , President of the. International Association of University Presidents; Hon. David A Norse , Director—General of the International Labor Organization (1948—1970); Professor Oscar Schachter , Professor of International Law at Columbia University; Hon. Jerome J. Shestack , former U..S..Representative of the United Nations Human Rights Comrnission.;.:..Hon. Marietta Tree , former U.S. Representative of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; Professor Tom J. Farer , Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers university;and . Professor Amry.. Vandenbosch , ProfessOr Emeritus, ‘Patterson School. of. Diplomacy,. University of Kentucky. . . . . Also, on Monday, December 14, 1981, an . announcement was made in Geneva Switzerland, by Professor Jacques Freymond, DirectOr - Centre d'Etudes Pratiques de la Negotiation Internati na1e, of the formation of the International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran; 1 mong the organizers of the efforts are Professor Georges Fischer , Director -of Re earc of the .National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France; Professor Johan Galtung , Distinguished International Law Professor, Norway; John Humphrey , Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario,. London, Ontario and formerStaff Director of the United Nations. Human Rights Commission; and Professor Salvator P. Lopez , former Member of the United Nations Human Rights Commission and former President of, the University of the Philippines.. For-Further Information call William J. vanden Heuvel, 425-5200 or Maureen Berman, 972—9554
PRESS CONFERENCE NOTICE Date: ‘l4onday, December14, 1981 3.0:30 A.N. . Place: ... Church Center for the. Unjthd Nations, 2nd Floor • : 777, U.N. P1az (44th St.. nd First Avenue) Subject:. ‘ ouricemant of the fOrmatiO i o the Intérnational • • . Committee for the Defense fHu an Rights in'. Iran A group of Americaxis who have worked ‘extenslifely for the defense.of human rights' during their public careers tqi]..1 announce their participation in organizing the International Couui ittee for ‘the D9fense of Human Rights Ln Iran. ‘ ‘ .. • ‘.. Among those expected to participatein the .:pr ss conference are: Hon. William J. vanden Heuve'l, Former Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the Unit d Nations; . jf . . ‘ Hon. Morris Abram, Former U.S. Representative of ‘the United Nations Human Rights Commission; . ‘ Hon. Rita Hauser, FormerU.S. Representative of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; . •,•, ‘ . Hon. Philip Hoffman, Former U.S.Represenative of the United Nations Human Rights Commission ‘ Neinbers of the Committee will supply information regarding reported human rights violations in Iran and outline the actions ‘the Committee •intends to undertake to bring to the attention of appropriate international organizations and Members States of the United Nations alleged human rights violations in Iran. • For further information contact Maureen Berman, 972—9554 or William vanden Heuvel, 425—5200. • j 4 4L4L it it it it i i it it it I T it it r
—— The intellectual and literary community • of Iran' is being threatened, as indicated ,•• • by the execution on June 22nd of Saeed • Sullan ybur, one of Iran's leading poets and olavwriteS. Khilil Razai, one of the founders of the Iranian Human Rights Committee and an early supporter of the Iranian Revolution, • ‘ has fled to Paris and is quoted in France • Soire as statiflg:”throughout his long rule, the Shah's regime executed several hundred • people. But under Khomeini they have killed several thousands in a matter of months. • The.Shah's regime never executed persons • under 18 years old, but under Khomeini they are executing even 9 year old girls.” Razai told newspaper reporters: “with my • . . own eyes I have seen Revolutionary Guards imprint the words ‘long live Khomeini' on • the chest of a prisoner with a lighted • cigarette. I saw with my own eyes how they forced twelve year old children in prison to be present during the execution • . . of other children. .1 personally •took. three pregnant . women who had miscarriages as a • . result of being tortured.in prison to hospitals. 4 . . From every part of Iran, pleas and cries for assistance are being made which Humanity ‘cannot ignor e. The: great Iranian ooet, Saadi, said: “Two mistakes are irrevocable -.— speaking when the times require silence and sileiice when it is time to speak.” The International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran is being organized because each of us, as individ- uals who have been involved in the struggle for human rights throughout our lifetimes, know that we cannot be silent in the. face of these terrible reports. We intend to seek a meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations to present this cause. We will ask the United Nations Commission for Human Rights to place the' Iranian crisis on its Agenda. We will ask the govern- ments of as many Member States as. possible to instruct ‘their representatives in every UN agency, including the Commission for Human Rights, to demand an investigation into these allega- tions of brutality in Iran. We hope to hold public hearings where testimony regarding conditions in Iran can be presented -— so that such testimony can then be relayed to appropriate international organizations. ‘ . We speak to. thè'conscience of the world, asking that the United Nations, its Member States and eachof us as individuals in the Family of Man be' re ared to. accept and act.UpOfl our responsibility to hear and respond to those voices crying in terror in the darkness of Iran's night.