Forty-six Iranian and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for the renewal of the mandate of the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
The NGOs addressed a joint letter to all diplomatic missions attending the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran reports.
The letter comes just a month after the death of the Pakistani woman most recently in the role, Asma Jahangir. During her tenure, Ms Jahangir criticised the long jail sentences given to several Iranian converts to Christianity, and the lack of healthcare provision for those detained.
The letter said Ms Jahangir’s mandate “had proved vital for the advancement of human rights in Iran and yielded important gains”.
It said the Iranian authorities have “consistently failed” to implement reforms for women, children, minorities and the LGBT community. No action has been taken, it said, to improve the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, religion or belief, nor protection from torture and other ill-treatment.
The letter also called into question the government’s response to the recent protests, when its use of firearms resulted in at least 25 deaths. Thousands of protesters were arrested, many of whom still remain in prison, it noted.
It also noted that since December, more than 35 women have been arrested in the capital, Tehran, alone for protesting against the compulsory Islamic dress code, while hundreds of journalists, political dissidents, artists, members of religious and ethnic minorities, and human rights activists are currently imprisoned for practising their right to freedom of expression.
The letter noted that Iran is among the top executioners in the world and continues to use the death penalty for individuals who were under 18 at the time of the crime for which they were convicted. At least five such executions took place in 2017, it noted.
The letter said that the role of the rapporteur has attracted the attention of the international community to the situation of human right in Iran, amplified the voices of victims of human rights abuses, and stimulated debate within Iran.
By voting for the continuation of the mandate, the governments of those diplomatic missions will send a “strong signal” to the Iranian authorities that the international community requires “tangible improvements” on human rights issues, the statement concluded.
The 46 organisations that signed the letter include Amnesty International, Article 18, the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Freedom House, and Human Rights Watch.
