United Nations — United Nations Office at Geneva — Information Service — Commission on Human Rights Begins Considerations of Human Rights Violations in any Part of the World

          
          NATIONS UNIES S UNITED NATIONS
          SERViCE DE L'JNFORMATION - OFFICEDES NATIONS UNJES A GENEVE
          INFcIRMA TION SER VICE - UNITED NA TIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
          Press Release HR/1033
          9 March 1931
          CO1'fl SSION ON HUTIAIT RIGHTS BEGINS CONSIDERATION QF HTJTIA .N RIGHTS
          VIOLATION IN A1 PART OF THE 1ORLD
          Press Release HR/1033
          Page 4
          YvonBEAULNE (Canada) observed that massive and systematic violations of
          human rights were persistently committed in all parts of the world and.that.some
          governments “1 ew not, could not or simply did not wish to comply with the
          existing resolutions of the Commission”, He referred to the situation in
          Afghanistan and Kampuchea where eop1e were denied the right to self—determination
          because of foreign occupation.
          He also referred to “the tragic events” in Guatemala and regret-ted that this
          government refused to receive, as p 'omised, the representative of the Inter—
          American Commission of Human Rights 0 As -to El Salvador, the role of the
          Commission was not to encourage the peoples of El Salvador to kill each other but
          to lay down arms. As far as Bolivia was co cernecl, his delegation hoped that
          the authorities would allow the Commission -to consider the human rights situation
          prevailing in the country.
          Canada, he stated, would propose the eleboration of an international
          declaration cc nfirming -the responsibility of individual and groups as well as of
          governments in insuring -the protection ai ci promotion of human rights and Thnda
          mental freedoms.
          He called on the Comndssion to consider -the allegations of discrimination
          made by the Baha'i Community which, he thought, were well founded and could not
          be simply discarded by the representative of Iran.
          Paying tribu-te to anonymous defenders of human rights in eastern Europe,
          Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the representative of. Canada. singled out
          the case of Andrei Sakharov.
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          Press Release HR/1033
          Page 5
          O.L.]1AVIS (Australia) said evidence from any country in the world of the
          systenatio suppression of the right of individuals to defend human rights was of
          concern to the Australian Government. In certain countries, the suppression of
          freedom of speech and of assembly had Given rise to what have become 1 own as
          dissident movements. “An aôt of dissent from the prevailing state ideolo r is
          treated as a- crime. In certain circumstances those with cli esenting views are
          committed to psychiatric hospitals, orto some form of political . “. -.
          “This Commission will also be obliged to take up other situations which
          involve reports of the breakdown of law, order and public morality of such magni-
          tude that the Commission cannot but respond”.
          A.no-table example of the recent use of the public procedures of the
          Commission he said, had been the decison of ECOSOC to a thorize a public
          investigation of the situation in a-tcri . Ct inoa under the dictator Macias.
          The consequent study by Professor Fernando Vollo Jimeriez stood today as an
          example of the range of the Commission's possibilities and his second report, whici
          was before -the Commission demonstrated more clearly than any words which the
          essential value of the Commission's work in this kind of' circumstance e ressecl.
          Mr. Davis deplored the violations of human rights in Guatemala, the events
          in El Salvador and. -the hea'r,ry losses of life which were occurring there.
          One of the more neglected problems on which the Commission should act. was,
          he said, that connected with'flagrant violations of the right of people to hold
          a religious belief. One of the most distressing aspects of these violations was
          the persecution of religious minorities in. Iran. He referred particularly to the
          persecution in -that country of members of the Baha'i faith who were not only-
          denied the rights of a recognised religious minority under the constitution but
          were systematicafly harassed.
          Press Release Hfl/1033
          - Page6
          Gerald I lGIU ' . (Observer frcm Baha'i International Community) drew the
          a -t-ten-tion of the Commission -to the persecution of a religious minority in Iran.
          He said the 300,000 member Baha'i Community was the largest religious minority
          in that country and yet was not recognized under the Constitution. This non—
          recognition had led to a serious violation of human rights and fundamental
          freedoms, in disregard of -the Covenant on Civil and Political Righ-to, a human
          rights instrument sig-ied and ratified by Iran.
          The omission of' the Baha'i Community of' Iran from the religious minorities
          mentioned in the present Iranian Constitution had made the situation of' the Baha'i
          Minority very precarious. The Christian, Je ish and Zoroastrian minorities were
          afforded protection of -their human rights under the laws of the Islamic Republic
          of Iran. But the deliberate omission of the Baha'i had left the way open to
          intensified denunciations, summary arrests and trials, murders, and destruction
          of property and holy places, with almost complete assurance of impunity for the
          perpetrators.