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Resolution 40/141 Adopted by the General Assembly

          
          UNITED A
          NATIONS
          (
          .- —
          General
          Assembly
          
          Distr.
          GENERAL
          A/RES/40/14 1
          5 March 1986
          _I - —
          -
          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
        
          
          ! -
          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)
          —
        
          
          .
          — 3 —
          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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