Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
I am here today, representing the International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) which we formed in 2008 when I was vice-president of the European Parliament. It is now a non-profit NGO registered in Brussels, dealing mainly with the human rights, democracy and also security situation in Iran and Iraq. Thank you very much for inviting me here to this important conference and I wish to focus on Iran today.
The mullahs’ regime in Iran continues to execute more of its citizens per capita than any other U.N. member state and is the biggest executioner of juveniles.
Some 2000 people have been executed under President Rouhani in the past two years, more than in any similar period in the past 25 years. A young Kurdish political prisoner, Behrouz Alkhani was executed recently and the dead body of Shahrokh Zamani, another political prisoner was found in his cell last week.
The executions have escalated especially in the month following the nuclear deal with Iran. It seems that the recent nuclear deal and the absence of absolutely any public condemnation of human rights violations by the European governments, have emboldened Iran to move more quickly to try to annihilate its opponents both inside Iran and also those exiled in neighbouring Iraq.
Several cases of inhuman and barbaric punishments have been carried out in the last few months including amputation of hands and feet.
Iran is one of the largest prisons of journalists in the world; dozens are being detained today. Many journalists report that the regime intimidates and harasses their families in an effort to pressure them to discontinue their work.
Nearly all of the opposition activists in prison before Rouhani was elected are still in prison and some have been executed.
The situation of women has gone much worse. The women in Iran occupy only 12 percent of the working force. Many jobs are forbidden for women. They are forbidden form sports arenas and watching matches and prohibited from singing and playing music in public.
The repression against women has become a law under Rouhani when a bill was adopted in the Iranian parliament, giving a free hand to security forces and agents to impose compulsory veil. If a women protest, she can be arrested and severely punished. This law has paved the way for numerous acid attacks against girls and women for improper veiling.
Many women political activists have been jailed including Nargess Mohammdi who has two young twin children and her husband was forced to got to exile and her family has been basically destroyed. She has been put into prison despite the fact that she is seriously ill. Or you may have heard about the 28-year-old talented artist, Atena Faraghdani who has been sentenced to nearly 13 years and she is also quite ill. Amnesty International considers her a prisoner of conscience. In September when her lawyer visited her in prison and they shook hands, she was charged for “illegitimate sexual relationship short of adultery” and “indecent conduct”. Her lawyer was also arrested. As a protest to such injustice she has gone on hunger strike.
The situation of religious minorities such as the Christians and Baha’is are very critical and have become worse under Rouhani. The cemeteries of Baha’is have been destroyed by the authorities. The Iranian regime’s systematic persecution of the Baha’is has also resulted in widespread religiously motivated hate crimes against them.
Not only has Rouhani remained silent about these crimes, but he has promoted the head of the Iran Prisons Organization – Gholam Hossein Esmaili – to the position of director general of the Justice Department in Tehran Province.
The current minister of Justice appointed by Rouhani is a mullah called Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi who was one of the three people who sat on the ‘death commission’ that sent over 30,000 political prisoners – mainly members of the PMOI – to the gallows in summer of 1988.
Rouhani has stated clearly on Iranian TV that death sentences are according to the rule of God and the rule of law. So we should not be deceived by pro-regime lobby that these abuses are done behind his back by so called hard-liners. At least on the issue of repression, all factions of this regime have been united. Because ending the repression and the atmosphere of fear and terror, created by these executions, would lead to a revolt and their inevitable downfall.
Quite opposite to this, is the declared position of the democratic opposition. I was encouraged when I learnt that Mrs Maryam Rajavi who leads the main organised opposition, has clearly said that in a future free Iran, there will be no death penalty. I think that is a very brave and historic commitment, especially for the Muslim world.
What is very worrying for us has been the current policy of the EU and the European governments who do not have death penalty in their own countries but seem quite comfortable to deal with this regime which is the world leader in executing people. Business first! We have witnessed a rush of different European ministers to Iran, taking smiling photos with Iranian officials and signing multi-billion euros contracts and not bothering their hosts in Tehran by mentioning about the human rights violations and repression against women. As a European, I consider this is very disgraceful.
Such an approach has very negative effects. It will send a bad message to the people of Iran who feel that Europeans are only interested in business and do not care about their sufferings. It also encourages the regime to continue the repression.
Ever since Mrs Mogherini became the EU High Representative for Foreign affairs, not even one press release has been issued by her office in condemnation of human rights violations in Iran. Up to now EU officials were busy with the nuclear negotiations. What about now? Why such a silence?
If we want these human rights abuses to end, we need to be tough. We need to continue to condemn these atrocities publicly and not only in private meetings with Iranian officials. Any kind of so called “human rights dialogue” with Iran, must not replace our strong public condemnations of atrocities committed against the people of Iran. We need to continue to propose and adopt strong resolutions in the UN General assembly to stop public executions in Iran. We need to continue the sanctions related to human rights violations and regime’s support for terrorism.
I should remind the European governments that when the Americans were negotiating with Soviet Union in 1975 for an arms control agreement, the issue of human rights was the most important part of the Helsinki Final Act. Thirty-five states, including the USA, Canada, and European states signed it. In negotiations with Iran, we should do the same.
EU must make human rights a focal point of their Iran policy, categorically condemn the ongoing human rights abuses in Iran on the international level and act urgently to press the Iranian regime to stop all executions, end its human rights violations and free all political prisoners in Iran, as a precondition to any improvement of relations.
My last point is on the situation of thousands of Iranian dissidents in Iraq in Camp Liberty who used to be in Ashraf. They are continuously been harassed and repressed by Iraqi forces. Unfortunately the UN officials there have not been helpful and in fact they cooperate with Iraqi government. The UN has an obligation to make sure that the residents of Camp Liberty are protected and safe.
We are witnessing a hostile campaign against the defenceless Iranian refugees in Camp Liberty with Iran’s Embassy in that country helping individuals in the guise of the residents’ families and relatives to gather outside the camp to chant threatening slogans at the residents and throwing stones at them. So far, 27 people have lost their lives due to lack of prompt and timely access to medical treatment. UN Assistance mission in Iraq (UNAMI) should cooperate with Liberty residents to stop such violations by Iraqi forces. I should emphasize that when we deal about human rights violations in Iran, the issue of the protection and safety of these Iranian refugees in Liberty should be an essential part of our demands.
Thank you very much.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras
President of International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) & Former Vice-President of the European Parliament
18 Sep 2015
