Destruction of ‘Human Dignity’ of Iranians in the Shadow of Governance Incompetence
The scope of existing crises in Iran has expanded more than ever before; from the continuation of the concerning situation of coronavirus outbreaks in most cities of the country to the crisis of water and electricity shortages during Iran’s hot summer. The intensification of these crises has led to protest gatherings forming in some cities. The repeated power outages and lack of easy access to water for a vast number of Iranians, and the government’s confrontation with these crises and inability to provide citizens’ basic rights, are a clear example of disregarding the “human dignity” of the nation by the ruling power in Iran.
On the other hand, the government’s incompetence in combating coronavirus, both in securing vaccines and in advancing the general vaccination plan, has caused Iranian travel to neighboring countries including Armenia to receive coronavirus vaccines to increase significantly in recent months. A matter which, according to many, is another curtain on the destruction of “human dignity” of Iranians in the shadow of governance incompetence in running the country.
“The dignity and supreme value of humans” is emphasized in the sixth clause of Article Two of Iran’s Constitution, and the government is committed to guaranteeing it. Moreover, human dignity as a vital principle in international human rights documents is based on principles such as equality, freedom and the right to development, security and protection of fundamental human rights and quality of life and economic and social welfare. Human dignity and fundamental human rights such as equality, in addition to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are also emphasized in other human rights documents such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Human Dignity; Equal Enjoyment of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms by All
Recognizing the dignity and worth of humans, or in other words, acknowledging human status regardless of any affiliation, is one of the most important and key concepts in international human rights covenants. The concept of human dignity, from the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the two international covenants on economic-social and civil-political rights, has been repeatedly emphasized; covenants to which the Iranian government has also been a signatory and bears full responsibility for ensuring and guaranteeing this primary legal obligation.
“Human dignity” in international human rights documents emphasizes the equality of humans in enjoying fundamental rights and freedoms—regardless of race, color, language, opinion, religion, social status, origin of birth, ethnicity, and so forth.
On the other hand, Article Two of Iran’s Constitution, in explaining the foundations of the “Islamic Republic of Iran” system, has outlined six foundations and infrastructures, the last of which is “human dignity”; the dignity and supreme value of humans, and freedom coupled with their responsibility before God.
Article Three of the Constitution also obligates the government to provide certain matters for citizens that are specifically related to the concept of “human dignity”; clause 9 of this article states: “Eliminating unjust discrimination and creating equal opportunities for all, in all material and spiritual fields.”
The relentless expansion of poverty in Iran and its consequences such as marginalization and the ever-increasing statistics of addiction, the government’s incompetence in protecting natural resources and the environment, and the destruction of the country’s capital, has gripped Iranian society for years and made it difficult for many to tolerate the current situation. The addition of problems and acute crises of recent months such as “water shortages” and “power outages” in many cities of the country on one hand, and the increasingly complicated coronavirus crisis on the other, have caused what is heard from the discourse governing society these days to emphasize the “destruction of human dignity” of Iranians in the shadow of the incompetence of those rulers for whom the lives and honor of people have no value.
Following widespread power outages in some cities of the country, many patients who needed electrical devices for treatment faced serious problems. The continuation of repeated power outages for several days in Iranian cities brought a group of citizens to the streets to chant slogans against officials and authorities. Protests that posed the danger of spreading led some government officials to respond and some media outlets close to the government also raised claims of their connection to “counter-revolution.” Although government officials claimed that the power crisis in the country would soon be resolved, the reaction of some influential figures in the government and close to Ebrahim Raisi sought to impose a different narrative about the power outage issue. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Razavi Khorasan and father-in-law of Ebrahim Raisi, while stating that “some villages around Mashhad have no water because of power outages and darkness,” said “near them, people are filling swimming pools in their villas and garden halls.” He requested that “Basijis should take action, military and security forces should control villas and garden halls so that people do not pump underground reserves for their pools.”
Such statements and the government’s insistence on coercive approaches to solve all existing crises in the country on one hand, and Ebrahim Raisi sitting in the presidential office and his history of dealing with citizens’ basic rights including “human dignity” as head of the judiciary on the other hand, demonstrate the government’s macro perspective on the concept of the status and worth of Iranian humans, which today deprives society of the most basic human rights and is unable to provide the elementary needs of the society under its rule.
Human Dignity and the “Right to Health” of Citizens
The right to health is part of the fundamental rights of citizens in any political society. After the spread of coronavirus worldwide, attention to this fundamental right, which is also emphasized in the World Health Organization’s constitution and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, gained even more importance. The political decisions of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran in dealing with coronavirus, and at the forefront of them Ali Khamenei’s order prohibiting the importation and use of “American” and “British” vaccines, slowed down the process of dealing with this widespread disease in Iran. The repeated promises of officials to secure needed vaccines and advance the general vaccination process were not fulfilled and this project faced many challenges.
As stated in clause 2 of Article 12 of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, member states of this covenant are obligated to “prevent and treat epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases, as well as fight against these diseases.”
Iran’s Constitution specifically refers to the right to health of individuals and the government’s duty to ensure this fundamental right; Article 29 of the Constitution stipulates that access to health and medical care services and medical supervision is a universal right through insurance. Clause 12 of Article 3 also emphasizes eliminating any deprivation in the field of health and the expansion of insurance. Nevertheless, what has been observed during the difficult period of the coronavirus pandemic on the part of the government and responsible officials in fighting this deadly virus has been more than anything indicative of the government’s incompetence in resolving this crisis and negligence of the fundamental rights of society members.
Some time ago, a report was published about blatant discrimination in the process of coronavirus vaccination in Iran, according to which American vaccines were being sold in the country at very high prices.
The acceleration of vaccination rates in some neighboring countries and the apparent incompetence of responsible officials in Iran motivated many travelers from Iran to go to these countries, especially Armenia, to receive free coronavirus vaccines there.
The high volume of Iranian travelers in Armenia who, to receive free vaccines, accepted travel costs and the difficulties of the journey and went to that country, caused another dimension of the feeling of “destruction of human dignity” among Iranians; a matter that caused negative reactions from many social media users and even health officials of the country.
Mohammad Reza Hashemian, ICU specialist at Masih Daneshvari Hospital, one of the most important specialized hospitals in Iran, had said in an Instagram live that vaccinating Iranian people in Armenia is a historical disgrace.
The dark history of the rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran in recognizing “human dignity” and respecting the “status” of individuals in dimensions such as restricting personal and social freedoms and depriving humans of equal rights because of their beliefs is not hidden from anyone. The record of the Islamic Republic of Iran in flagrant violation of basic human rights is very long and extensive, and the intertwining of deep economic crises of the people with the government’s inability to meet the basic needs of the people has brought the foundations of “human dignity” as the most fundamental of human rights to the brink of destruction more than ever before.
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
