Release of Javaid Rehman’s First Report on Human Rights Situation in Iran
The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran has called on Iranian authorities in his first report to end the 13-year ban on the entry of UN human rights reporters into the country and to permit him to travel there.
The first report by the UN special rapporteur on human rights for Iran has been released. According to “Iran Human Rights Campaign,” Javaid Rehman expressed concerns in his report about human rights violations in Iran, including the execution of prisoners, including those under 18 years old without fair trial, torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading punishments against detainees, violations of fundamental rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association, infringement of women’s rights, and systematic violations of minorities’ rights.
This 13-page report was released in English on the 5th of Mehr (September 27).
Javaid Rehman emphasized his intention to cooperate and establish constructive dialogue with the Islamic Republic government to facilitate his mission.
He wrote that issuing a permit for a visit to Iran would strengthen his interactions with Iranian authorities on human rights issues and would enable him to conduct a precise assessment of the human rights situation in Iran through dialogue with citizens.
In his 13-page report, Rehman referred to violations of economic, social and cultural rights, the situation of human rights defenders, the situation of foreign and dual-national citizens, mass executions in the 1980s, and violations of the rights of individuals due to disability, sexual orientation and gender identity in Iran, and called for attention and negotiations on these matters.
Repeating the requests of previous special rapporteurs and the UN Secretary-General, he called for the release of all individuals detained during peaceful protests to assert their right to freedom of speech and thought. Rehman also called for the release of protesters detained during the civil unrest last winter in Iran.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran has called on Islamic Republic authorities to initiate independent and transparent investigations into the causes of death of individuals who died during detention or during events at the time of or following protests.
In another section of his report, Javaid Rehman expressed “deep” concern about the execution of defendants who committed crimes in adolescence and called on Islamic Republic authorities to quickly end the execution of individuals who were minors at the time of committing the crime.
Elimination of capital punishment, cessation of cruel, degrading and inhumane punishments such as flogging and amputation, as well as ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women were among the demands of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran that he mentioned in his report.
Javaid Rehman succeeded Asma Jahangir, the previous human rights rapporteur, in Tir month of this year. Ms. Jahangir passed away in February 2018 due to a heart attack.
Javaid Rehman was born in Pakistan and holds a PhD in Law from the University of Hull in England. He specializes in Islamic law, human rights and international terrorism and teaches as a professor of Islamic Law and International Law at Brunel University.
Source: DW
