A group of UN reporters and experts called for the immediate release of prisoners in Iran.
Twelve United Nations rapporteurs and experts have issued a statement calling for the immediate release of prisoners of conscience, dual nationals, and foreign citizens imprisoned in Iran.
These reporters and experts, including Javed Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, issued this statement on Friday, April 19, citing the latest statistics from Iranian Ministry of Health officials regarding the death of one person every ten minutes due to the coronavirus, and called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to immediately and unconditionally release prisoners of conscience and dual nationals who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 in Iranian prisons.
These experts also called the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran with the spread of this virus urgent and pointed out that prisoners such as Nasrin Sotoudeh, Narges Mohammadi, Arash Sadeghi, Ahmadreza Jalali, Morad Tahbaz, Kamran Ghaderi, and Masoud Mosaheb have not been released despite the unfavorable conditions of their detention in prison. They also announced that most prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, environmental activists, dual nationals, and foreign citizens are still in prison, and some of these people are at risk of contracting this virus due to their age or physical conditions.
The statement also stated that Iranian prisons have historically suffered from health problems, overcrowding, and a lack of health care for prisoners. The reporters and experts further called on the Iranian authorities to take measures consistent with their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to treat those deprived of their liberty humanely.
Javed Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and other signatories of the statement concluded by calling on Iranian authorities to independently and impartially investigate cases of arbitrary detention and to immediately and permanently release all prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained and deprived of their liberty.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran had previously called on the Islamic Republic to temporarily release all prisoners on Tuesday, March 10. He stressed that the continued detention of political prisoners amid the coronavirus outbreak was “regrettable and concerning.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said in a press conference on Wednesday, April 26: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been illegally imprisoned, in these circumstances the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison."
Source: Voice of America
