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Nov
20
UN resolution condemns Iran’s treatment of Baha’is and other citizens
Filed Under Human Rights, Iran | Leave a Comment
The Baha’i World News Service reports that a strongly worded resolution passed today at the United Nations sends a strong message to the Iranian government about its treatment of its citizens.
The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee approved the resolution, which notes that the seven Baha’i leaders detained in Tehran since Spring 2008 have faced “serious charges without adequate or timely access to legal representation”, by 74 votes to 48.
Expressing “deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran”, the resolution’s list of violations included oppressive measures taken after the June presidential election and “increasing discrimination” against minority groups, including Baha’is.
“This year’s resolution – which is among the most forcefully worded in more than 25 years of resolutions on Iran – sends a potent message to the government there, stating vigorously that the international community will not turn a blind eye to human rights violations,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.
“The General Assembly identifies numerous violations, including the use of torture, the repeated abuse of legal rights, the violent repression of women, and the ongoing discrimination against minorities, including Baha’is, who are Iran’s largest religious minority and are persecuted solely because of their religious belief,” she said.
Noting the turmoil that followed the presidential elections, the resolution condemns the oppressive measures used by the Iranian government to suppress dissent. Journalists, human rights defenders, students and “others exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and association” have all been persecuted since the elections.
It also noted the “use of violence” against “Iranian citizens engaged in the peaceful exercise of freedom of association, also resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.” And it criticized the holding of “mass trials and denying defendants access to adequate legal representation.”
It makes extensive mention of the persecution of Baha’is, expressing concern over “attacks on Baha’is and their faith in State-sponsored media, increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha’is, preventing members of the Baha’i Faith from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically.”
The resolution, put forward by Canada and cosponsored by 42 other countries including the UK, calls on Iran to allow UN human rights monitors to visits Iran, and asks the UN secretary general to report back next year on Iran’s progress at fulfilling its human rights obligations.
The resolution will now go to the UN General Assembly’s plenary session for final approval later in the year.
[Photo of UN HQ taken by en:User:Djmutex and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Licence]
Technorati Tags: UN, Iran, Baha’i, Bahai, human rights
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