f ran 's report to UN paints distorted picture on hmian rights Antiesty liter , ,. lttp://www.an'niesty.org/en/for-niedia/press-re leases/iran's-report-un-pain . .
AMNESTY
I NIERNATI ONAL ________________________
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IRAN 'S REPORT TO UN PAINTS
DISTORTED PICTURE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
12 February 2010
Al Index: PREO1/049/2010
The Iranian government's view of the state of human rights in
the country is severely distorted, Amnesty International said
today in an analysis paper prepared ahead of a review of Iran
by the UN Human Rights Council.
The Amnesty International paper was prepared in response to
Iran's own submission to the UN in the framework of the
Universal Periodic Review. The UN Human Rights Council's
Working Group will evaluate Iran's human rights record on 15
February .
During the review, UN member states have the opportunity to
raise questions about Iran's human rights record and make
recommendations to the Iranian government, which may then
say which, if any, it will accept.
“The Iranian authorities seem either to have lost touch with
reality or are unwilling to acknowledge it,” said Hassiba Hadj
Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North
Africa at Amnesty International. “The government report reads
as if there is no human rights crisis, just politically motivated
criticism.”
“UN member states must look at what is actually happening in
Iran: mass arrests and detentions, beatings of peaceful
demonstrators, torture and deaths in custody, ‘show trials'
and politically motivated executions. Complacency or
misplaced solidarity with Iran should not stand in the way of
demands for Iran to fulfil its human rights obligations.”
Amnesty International's analysis includes examples that
illustrate Iran's failure to uphold human rights, such as that
those to a fair trial, to freedom of expression and, in the case
of women and ethnic and religious minorities, to freedom from
discrimination, and highlights obfuscations in the Iranian
government report.
Iran's report states that it prohibits the use of torture to force
“confessions” but the reality is very different. Torture and
other ill-treatment for the purpose of extracting “confessions”
are widespread. Recent Iranian broadcasts of extracts of
“show trials” taking place in Tehran, show haggard-looking
defendants apologizing and delivering what appear to be
coerced “confessions”.
Iran's judicial system is not the independent force depicted in
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f ran 's report to UN paints distorted picture on human rights Antiesty liter. ,. lttp://www.an'mesty.org/en/for-niedia/press-re leases/iran's-report-un-pain . .
the government's report, with sensitive cases heavily
influenced by political considerations. It also discriminates
against women from top to bottom. Women are absent in any
of the senior, decision-making posts, while a woman's
testimony in court is worth only half that of a man's and she
receives only half the compensation of a man for bodily injury
or death.
Amnesty International's report criticizes Iran's failure to
engage with human rights organizations and UN human rights
experts, consistently stalling on allowing visits - contrary to
Iran's own assertions that it has co-operated with human
rights groups. Amnesty International has been denied access
to Iran to conduct first-hand research into human rights
violations since April 1979.
Several human rights bills, currently pending before the
Maj les, have been under consideration for years without
progress. These include the Juvenile Crimes Investigation
Bill, which could reduce the number of death sentences
imposed on juvenile offenders, and the bill setting out
“political crimes” which was drafted over five years ago, by a
previous parliament.
Amnesty International acknowledged some of the
improvements in legislation referred to in Iran's report to the
UN. These include the revival of the Offices of the
Prosecutor, the equalization of diyeh for Muslims with
non-Muslims and efforts to combat human trafficking.
“It is time for Iran to implement the necessary measures to
improve human rights in the country by allowing human rights
defenders to work without fear, journalists to freely report,
people to protest without being exposed to violence and
ensuring mechanisms are developed to improve justice and
ensure accountability,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
A full copy of Amnesty International's shadow report Amnesty
International's Comments on the National Report presented
by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Universal Periodic
Reviewis available at http:/Iwww.amnesty.orq/en/Ii brary
/ info/M DEl3IO2lI2OlOIen
A copy of Amnesty International's Submission of the Universal
Periodic Review of Iran is available at
http://www.am nesty.orci/en/Iibrary/infolM DEl 3/009/2009
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