[Human Rights] UPR Working Group/7th session, Statement on the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Iranian legislation provides guarantees of due judicial process, prohibits torture and contains provisions for the prosecution of officials committing acts of torture. However, many reports indicate a high number of cases of illegal arrests, incommunicado-detention, torture, rape and even murder by security officials and paramilitary militias, in particular in the aftermath of the presidential elections of 12 June 2009. We call for the immediate end of such serious violations. How will the Government investigate these cases in a credible manner and hold those responsible to account?

Ethnic and religious minorities, in particular Bahá’is, Sufi, Kurds, Azeris, Sunni Arabs including Baluch, as well as converts, suffer from widespread discrimination and often violent harassment. The death penalty seems to be disproportionately applied against persons belonging to minorities and recently also to political activists accused of the so-called crime of “enmity against God”. Which concrete steps will the Government undertake to ensure the fundamental human rights of all Iranians, including those belonging to minorities, as enshrined in the UN covenants?

We would like to make the following recommendations to the Government of Iran:

• Ratify CAT;
• Ensure equal treatment of women and girls in law and practice;
• Ensure the full implementation of international obligations and constitutional guarantees, including due judicial process and the prohibition of torture;
• Prosecute security officials involved in torturing, raping or killing detainees;
• Provide information about the whereabouts of detainees to their families and legal defenders as well as access to these detainees;
• Ensure the immediate release of illegally detained persons;
• Conduct a transparent and public inquiry into the violence emanating from security forces after the presidential elections of 2009;
• End the practice of executing juvenile offenders and of public executions, including through stoning;
• Take all appropriate measures to end the discrimination and harassment of persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities;
•  Respond positively to the pending requests of several UN special rapporteurs;
• Stop intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, bloggers, media and artists;