UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Human Rights Situation in Iran is Concerning
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has identified Iran as one of the concerning countries regarding human rights compliance.
Mr. Hussein, on Tuesday, September 20, in his remarks to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, cited severe restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, and the arrest of human rights defenders, journalists, and social media activists. The High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed to widespread mistreatment of prisoners and said that even the judiciary deals with criminals in a highly inhumane manner.
He stated that Iran has the highest rate of executions in the world, with many of them related to drug offenses, but such crimes are not considered deserving of capital punishment worldwide.
Iran was one of only a few countries that Mr. Hussein mentioned in his remarks to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, on the occasion of the start of his final year in this position, regarding the state of human rights in the world.
The human rights situation in Iran in recent years has drawn considerable criticism from international organizations and human rights defenders. High execution rates, suppression of religious and ethnic minorities, violation of freedom of expression, and imprisonment of dissidents and civil activists are among the practices of the Iranian government that have faced criticism.
Part of the United States sanctions against the Islamic Republic are due to human rights violations in Iran. The U.S. State Department, last month in April, submitted a report to Congress on sanctions against individuals and officials of the Islamic Republic in connection with human rights violations.
Amnesty International also released a detailed report documenting numerous cases of harassment and imprisonment of human rights defenders in Iran and stated that the judiciary and security apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran treat human rights defenders as criminals and enemies of the government.
Source: Voice of America
