Iran’s report to U.N. paints distorted picture on human rights

          
          f ran 's report to UN paints distorted picture on hmian rights Antiesty liter , ,. lttp://www.an'niesty.org/en/for-niedia/press-re leases/iran's-report-un-pain . .
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          IRAN 'S REPORT TO UN PAINTS
          DISTORTED PICTURE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
          12 February 2010
          Al Index: PREO1/049/2010
          The Iranian government's view of the state of human rights in
          the country is severely distorted, Amnesty International said
          today in an analysis paper prepared ahead of a review of Iran
          by the UN Human Rights Council.
          The Amnesty International paper was prepared in response to
          Iran's own submission to the UN in the framework of the
          Universal Periodic Review. The UN Human Rights Council's
          Working Group will evaluate Iran's human rights record on 15
          February .
          During the review, UN member states have the opportunity to
          raise questions about Iran's human rights record and make
          recommendations to the Iranian government, which may then
          say which, if any, it will accept.
          “The Iranian authorities seem either to have lost touch with
          reality or are unwilling to acknowledge it,” said Hassiba Hadj
          Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North
          Africa at Amnesty International. “The government report reads
          as if there is no human rights crisis, just politically motivated
          criticism.”
          “UN member states must look at what is actually happening in
          Iran: mass arrests and detentions, beatings of peaceful
          demonstrators, torture and deaths in custody, ‘show trials'
          and politically motivated executions. Complacency or
          misplaced solidarity with Iran should not stand in the way of
          demands for Iran to fulfil its human rights obligations.”
          Amnesty International's analysis includes examples that
          illustrate Iran's failure to uphold human rights, such as that
          those to a fair trial, to freedom of expression and, in the case
          of women and ethnic and religious minorities, to freedom from
          discrimination, and highlights obfuscations in the Iranian
          government report.
          Iran's report states that it prohibits the use of torture to force
          “confessions” but the reality is very different. Torture and
          other ill-treatment for the purpose of extracting “confessions”
          are widespread. Recent Iranian broadcasts of extracts of
          “show trials” taking place in Tehran, show haggard-looking
          defendants apologizing and delivering what appear to be
          coerced “confessions”.
          Iran's judicial system is not the independent force depicted in
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          f ran 's report to UN paints distorted picture on human rights Antiesty liter. ,. lttp://www.an'mesty.org/en/for-niedia/press-re leases/iran's-report-un-pain . .
          the government's report, with sensitive cases heavily
          influenced by political considerations. It also discriminates
          against women from top to bottom. Women are absent in any
          of the senior, decision-making posts, while a woman's
          testimony in court is worth only half that of a man's and she
          receives only half the compensation of a man for bodily injury
          or death.
          Amnesty International's report criticizes Iran's failure to
          engage with human rights organizations and UN human rights
          experts, consistently stalling on allowing visits - contrary to
          Iran's own assertions that it has co-operated with human
          rights groups. Amnesty International has been denied access
          to Iran to conduct first-hand research into human rights
          violations since April 1979.
          Several human rights bills, currently pending before the
          Maj les, have been under consideration for years without
          progress. These include the Juvenile Crimes Investigation
          Bill, which could reduce the number of death sentences
          imposed on juvenile offenders, and the bill setting out
          “political crimes” which was drafted over five years ago, by a
          previous parliament.
          Amnesty International acknowledged some of the
          improvements in legislation referred to in Iran's report to the
          UN. These include the revival of the Offices of the
          Prosecutor, the equalization of diyeh for Muslims with
          non-Muslims and efforts to combat human trafficking.
          “It is time for Iran to implement the necessary measures to
          improve human rights in the country by allowing human rights
          defenders to work without fear, journalists to freely report,
          people to protest without being exposed to violence and
          ensuring mechanisms are developed to improve justice and
          ensure accountability,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
          A full copy of Amnesty International's shadow report Amnesty
          International's Comments on the National Report presented
          by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Universal Periodic
          Reviewis available at http:/Iwww.amnesty.orq/en/Ii brary
          / info/M DEl3IO2lI2OlOIen
          A copy of Amnesty International's Submission of the Universal
          Periodic Review of Iran is available at
          http://www.am nesty.orci/en/Iibrary/infolM DEl 3/009/2009
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