The international pressure on Iran in human rights issues is ever growing. In a resolution of November 27th the United Nations Third Committee of the General Assembly has called on the government of Iran to stop its massive human rights violations.
In an Interview for Dorr TV Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human rights in Iran, gives background information and advice about what can be done from outside to support the victims of human rights violations in Iran.
Dorr TV: Regarding your recent third report as a Special Rapporteur, what are the last developments, which we should focus our attention on – what is your résumé in this report?
Shaheed: As you can see in the report, there are a number of serious concerns that I highlighted as an alarming development in Iran. Of course I focus on the plight of the journalists, human rights defenders, as well as a number of laws, that have been recently passed, or are in the pipeline. I also speak about the very high rate of executions and the fact that these executions have been imposed largely for drug offences, which do not qualify, in international law, a capital crime. I also refer to a number of issues or challenges that faced the civil society in Iran, including labour activists. As well as the issues that are dealing with women’s rights and those of ethnic and religious minorities. So these are some of the major issues I have raised. I have said that the sanctions issue will be something I will be monitoring in the time to come. Let me also add that, following on from the report I presented and the report I raised in September for the UN general assembly, two days ago the UN third committee passed a resolution with a very wide margin: 83 were in favour, 31 were against, calling upon Iran to address a whole range of human rights challenges and issues that have been raised in these reports.
Dorr-TV: So the human rights situation is observed by the international community with great care for many years now, and we do have signs that the regime is at least interested in its reputation. For example, your work has been attacked by representatives of the regime continually. How are you dealing with this situation?
Shaheed: I would have liked very much, and still hope that Iran will cooperate with me. Because that is how the mandate works! And even Iran has been at pains to tell everybody that Iran does cooperate with the human rights mechanisms at the UN. And my mandate is one of these mechanisms. So I think Iran should seriously consider that it is to their advantage also that they should talk to me and find ways to address issues that I have raised. I am not alone in raising concerns about the human rights situation. In addition to a number of members of the UN, there is also the human rights committee. An independent panel of some 18 experts reviewed Iran’s case last year at the UN-human rights committee, and they raised a number of issues about Iran’s human rights situation. And of course, if you look at Iran’s universal periodical review, which was done by the humans rights council two and a half years ago, again ever a large number of issues have been raised by the members of that council. To which Iran of course agreed to address within the same period. But we have two and a half years passed, so I think Iran should consider becoming more transparent about the way they are addressing this. Of course Iran has been sharply critical of my mandate; but I think the criticisms are not well founded. Because they should be talking to me if they want to have their perspective better reflected in my reports than they are at the moment. But I have been very fair, I have been very honest, I have been very rigorous in how I analyse my data, and I have yet to be shown if any of the matters I have mentioned in my reports are not accurate. I will call upon the Iran to engage me in this regard.
Dorr TV: A group of representatives of the European Parliament has recently cancelled its visit in Teheran, with regard to the situation of Jafar Panahi and Nasrin Sotoudeh. Is it a helpful reaction to act this way and cut the connections to the regime?
Shaheed: I think, you know, if countries are to have human rights dialogues with Iran, they should also be mindful that these dialogues produce results that are mutually beneficial to both countries concerned. I think, the delegations are regressed to be able to pay a visit to Jafar Panahi and Nasrin Sotoudeh, which was a reservable request – because they have both been given the Sacharow prize. I think it is usual for countries who whish to have good relations and lead a dialogue with other countries to actually engage at that level. Countries who want to seek to talk to Iran must see that this dialogue is meaningful and that it produces results. Otherwise we might have, as in the past, situations where countries talk to Iran, but this dialogue is without any substance. And then they (the government) are to claim that they have been talking to these countries! It will be important that if countries embark on human right dialogues with Iran, that they should be meaningful, substantive and designed to achieve results. If these conditions are available, I think delegations should visit. If however these delegations become just a matter of publicity for the government of Iran, human rights defenders in the country, and many of those victims of human rights abuses, will feel very disheartened – that their issues are not addressed, while the government is seen to be engaging with the global community.
Dorr TV: It seems that the power for improving the human rights situation in Iran must finally come from the people of Iran themselves. Which, in your point of view, are the groups of opposition – in Iran or in exile –, that should be supported more by European governments?
Shaheed: I think in every country the civil society has a very important role to play. Then eventually human right standards will be maintained. In Iran’s case, of course, at the moment there are very few groups in the country who can be taken as credible to care for human rights standards. Very often, people who engage in this exercise are punished. For example, the Human Rights Defenders – some 42 lawyers are currently in prison, and these include perhaps seven of the most famous Iranian lawyers that there are! And many of them actually are accused of being involved in the Human Rights Defenders-centre! In Iran, at the moment, being active in human rights defence activities, and also trying to do networking with international agencies and foreign governments, can become a liability. So really it is difficult at the present moment to identify any groups in the country. But there are many Iranian Diaspora NGOs outside the country who are struggling to improve Iran’s human rights situation, and of course they are very well known. I think, what European countries and others who seek to promote universal human rights standards must seek to do is: Identify those groups who are most active in promoting the human rights norms the country should comply with, and actually are able to make a difference in terms of walking with people on the ground. So, in addition to international NGOs, like Human rights watch and amnesty international, I think people should look at those Iranian Diaspora communities outside, who have a clear and sole human rights focus – and then walk with them.
Dorr TV: It is your job to observe the situation in Iran especially. But if we take a look at European countries, do you see signs that the Iranian regime is trying to influence and manipulate western media, and western universities, to establish their point of view?
Shaheed: Yes, I think I always maintained that a country of the size and wealth of Iran would really care about it’s reputation. That is why the resolution at the UN two days ago is such an important victory for the people of Iran. Because the Iran will respond to issues that are raised in that. But I think Iran must move – from looking at PR-exercises to a much more substantive engagement. You cannot take care for a country’s reputation simply by public relations. You have to have a substance in that. So in a sense it is encouraging to see Iran reaching out to universities and media to try to engage them on a human rights dialogue. I think, in the medium and the long run, one could benefit the country only by efforts that are designed to sincerely promote human rights contents, not simply by stylistic or cosmetical changes or effects, which just try to present something, rather than actually effecting the substance of it. So, in the long run, I think universities should try to engage with Iranian scholars, and discuss human rights issues; and at the same time both universities and other institutions in Europe and elsewhere might try to engage with Iranian parliamentarians, Iranian judges, and others, trying to create a better understanding of each others perspectives. And also trying to pass on to Iran those human rights norms that everyone should be subscribing to.
Dorr TV: Last question – religion, in this case: the Islam, in the view of many western spectators, seems to be the root of the human rights problems in Iran. Do you agree to that point of view – and do you see religious groups in Iran, that on the contrary are interested to strengthen human rights in their country?
Shaheed: I think, any religion can be used as an excuse to derogate from universal human rights standards. I do not think Islam is fundamentally opposed to human rights. There are many who argue that, by a bit more modern reading of Sharia law, basic human rights standards can be established, as well as in western countries. If you look at the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference), there are 55 members – a large number of them subscribed to numerous human rights treatises. So I don’t think Islam per se is the problem. It is the application in Iran of the Sharia in the manner as they do, that is the problem. And there are very few countries in the world with this, if you like, narrow reading of Sharia, which produces this tension between human rights and Islam. If you look at muslim scholars of the Sharia law, around the world, both in Islamic countries – including Iran! – and in western countries, there are lot of them who argue that Islamic Sharia in modern readings can be made compatible with basic human rights norms. So I think Iran is using Islamic Sharia arguments only as an excuse to non-performance of international law. And I think that at the present time, Iran together with a few other countries feel that they could use religion to their political advantage – by pitching religious arguments against universal norms. If you look at my mandate, and if you look at work I produced, I argue that human rights are universal, and that regardless of cultural contexts the basic human rights norms must be honoured.
Oliver Cech for Dorr TV / mehriran.de/en