Aadel Collection
Resolution 40/141 Adopted by the General Assembly
UNITED A
NATIONS
(
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General
Assembly
Distr.
GENERAL
A/RES/40/14 1
5 March 1986
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Fortieth session
Agenda item 12
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[ on the report of the Third Committee. (A/40/1007)]
40/141. Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
The General Assembly,
Guided by the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1/ and the International Covenants on Human
Rights, 2/
Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect
human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfil the obligations they have
undertaken under the various international instruments in this field,
Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1982/27 of 11 March 1982 3/
and 1983/34 of 8 March 1983, 4/
1/ Resolution 217 A (III) .
2/ Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3/ See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1982, Supplement
. No. 2 (E/1982/12 and Corr.l), chap. XXVI, sect. A.
/ Ibid., 1983, Supplement No. 3 (E/1983/13 and Corr.l), chap. XXVII,
sect. A.
86—06466 2708Z (E) /...
BP000666
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ACTION BY THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN IRAN
General Assembly resolution 40/141 on the human rights situation in Iran was
adopted by the General Assembly at its 116th meeting on 13 December 1985 by
53 votes in favour, 30 against and 45 abstentions.
The breakdown of the voting was as follows:
In favour (53)
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Barbados
Belize
Belgium
Bo tswana
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Denmark
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Fiji
Finland
France
Germany, F.R.
Greece
Grenada
Honduras
Iceland
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jordan
Kenya -
Lesotho
Luxembourg
- Mauritius
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Against (30)
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Benin
Brunel
Comoros .
, Cuba
Democratic Yemen
Indonesia .
Iran
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Nicaragua
Niger
Pakistan
Poland
Qatar
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
- Syria -
Tanzania
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen .
Abstained (45)
Bahamas
Bhutan
‘Brazil
Burkina Paso
Burma
Burundi ,
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Cyprus
Ecuador
Egypt'
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea Bissau
India
Ivory Coast
Japan
Lebanon
Liberia
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Nepal
Nigeria
Oman
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Senegal
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Sur iname
Swaziland
(continued on reverse side)
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of minority groups such as the Bah 'is”, on the General Assembly's
agenda for 1986. The resolution thus ensures that both the General
Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights will continue to concern
themselves with these issues.
The specific references to the Bah 'is in the text of the resolution are
extremely important in terms of maintaining and increasing international
concern over the plight of the Bah 'i community in Iran. They also
represent a considerable achievement. Strong pressures were exerted to
have these references deleted from the text, on the basis that the
BahS'f community represents only a very small proportion of the total
population of Iran and is only one of a number of oppressed groups, and
that the references to the Bahg' s would lose votes for the resolution.
The latter argument was certainly true. Many Arab and Muslim
delegations made it clear that they would support (or at least not vote
against) the resolution if, and only if, the references to the BaM'is
were deleted, but that they would vote against the resolution if the
references to the Bahg'is were retained. Thanks to strenuous Bah 'i
efforts, both in Western capitals and at the United Nations, the
references were retained.
The resolution was adopted after a week of debate about the worldwide
human rights situation. Resolutions were also adopted concerning the
human rights situations in Afghanistan (also dealt with for the first
time at this session of the Assembly), Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala.
(Resolutions about the situation in South Africa had been adopted
earlier in the session). :
In the course of the debate, the following delegations referred to the
situation in Iran in critical terms: Australia, Canada, Fiji, France,
Jamaica, Luxembourg (speaking on behalf of the ten Member States of the
European Community plus Spain and Portugal, who will become members on 1
January 1986), Norway, St. Lucia, Sweden and the United States. All
these delegations except France, Jamaica and Sweden specifically
mentioned the situation of the Bahg'is.
Bolivia, which, in common with a number of other third world countries,
has a policy of not voting on any human rights country situations,
nevertheless spoke up for the Bah 'is. In the context of expressing the
hope that the situations in all the countries under review (Afghanistan,
Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala and Iran) would normalize, the Bolivian
representative stressed the importance of freedom of religion for all,
including the Bah 'i Faith”.
The attitude of the Government of Iran to the resolution and to the
Bah 'f issue was significant. First of all, Iranian diplomats mounted
an extensive lobbying campaign to persuade other governments not to
support a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran. Iran, both
publicly and privately, has tried to portray any action on the human
rights situation in Iran as anti—Islamic. In addition, Iran made no
less than three statements attacking the Bah ' Faith at General
Assembly meetings. The Iranian Mission to the United Nations also
issued apress release reporting a statement made in Tehran on 29
I
$
BAH) I INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
United Nations Office
REPORT ON THE ADOPTION BY TEE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE RESOLUTION ON TEE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN IRAN
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 40/141 concerning
the human rights situation in Iran, including specific references to the
situation of the Bah 'is, on Friday 13 December 1985.
This is the first time that the General Assembly has ever adopted a
resolution about the general human rights situation in Iran, or about
the particular situation of the Bah 'is. It is therefore the first time
that the international community as a whole has expressed its concern
over these issues. The, resolution accordingly represents a major
advance in our efforts to secure the widest and clearest possible
expression of international concern over the persecution of the BaM'i
community in Iran. Its adoption is the result of intensive efforts by
National Spiritual Assemblies in national capitals and by the Bah '
International Community's United Nations Offices in New York and Geneva
over the past few years — efforts which have been further intensified
and concentrated in recent weeks with the goal of achieving such an
outcome. .
The General Assembly has for some years now been dealing with the human
rights situations in' three Latin American countries but it was only
through a major and determined effort by governments, by the Bah '
International Community and by other interested non—governmental
organisations that it was possible to add the Iranian'situation to the
General Assembly's agenda.
This action at the General Assembly follows the adoption of resolutions
about the human rights situation in Iran, including the particular
situation of the Bah 'is, by the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985. The resolution adopted by the
Commission in 1985 put these issues on the General Assembly's agenda for
the first time at its current session, and (also for the first time)
commissioned a report on them for submission to the General Assembly as
a basis for its discussions.
Mr. Andr&s Aguilar of Venezuela was appointed Special Representative of
the Commission on Human Rights, charged with responsibility for
. —1—
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