July 12, 2021 —Thank you very much. First let me say how moving and heartfelt and also heartbreaking the opening tribute was to the 30.000 massacred in 1988 and to you Madam Rajavi for your words of encouragement and a fight for a free Iran.
I am honored to speak at this “The Global Free Iran Summit” and convey my personal support and congratulations to those involved with the international committee in search of Justice for Iran.
These are different times as we gather virtually rather than in-person, but our goals remain the same. It is long past time for real justice and accountability in Iran.
In a statement by UN Commissioner for Human Rights – Michelle Bachelet on June 22, she said :
“The Secretary-General continues to be deeply concerned by widespread use of the death penalty, and its arbitrary imposition for a range of acts that under international law do not constitute “most serious crimes”. In violation of human rights law, death sentences are also frequently imposed based on forced confessions extracted through torture or after serious violations of the right to a fair trial.”
As we all know additional violations are faced by ethnic religious and other minorities especially those who dare protest against the actions of the State.
As Ms. Bachelet further states:
“The use of inappropriate force by security forces against protesters and bystanders in November 2019 amounted to the worst incident of State violence at protests in decades. However, protesters, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and civil society actors continue to be subjected to intimidation, arbitrary detention, and criminal prosecution, including the death penalty.
To date, there has been no accountability for any of the gross human rights violations committed by security forces in response to protests. Neither has there been any notable effort to address large numbers of documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of children, women, and men, linked to the justice system’s reliance on forced confessions. In this as in many other respects, persistent impunity for human rights violations remains a crucial concern.”
Canada has long called on Iranian authorities to uphold and respect democratic and human rights, including the right to freedom of expression.
Canada has also experienced that lack of accountability by Iran for the victims of Flight PS752 a Ukrainian commercial passenger plane destroyed by Iranian missiles taking 176 innocent lives including 138 with ties to Canada.
Iranian officials initially denied any wrongdoing but once confronted with irrefutable evidence they belatedly admitted Iran’s responsibility but there is still much to be done on Iran’s part to achieve accountability.
But even in that serious matter the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in a joint statement at the Human Rights Council at the United Nations had to, among other points, call on Iran to immediately stop any harassment and intimidation of victims families, both in Iran and elsewhere.
I make that point to show how far Iran’s leadership will go in terms of its abuse of authority and its denials of human rights and international law.
We call upon Iran to recognize human rights, the rule of law, investigative and judicial independence, due process, transparency, and accountability.
In that way Iran and its citizens can foster a renewed relationship with the global community and all the worlds citizens would be the better for it.
So here is to a free Iran as part of that global community that exercises accountability.
Thank You.