Legal and diplomatic condemnations of Iran by UN Member States
In March 2010, the Federal Court of Switzerland, the country’s highest judiciary body, refused any further cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran because of its grave human rights violations. The Swiss Federal Court noted that Iran was denounced in a UN resolution adopted by the General Assembly in December 2009 and does not believe that it will comply with its human rights obligations even if it explicitly guaranteed to do so[1]. The Swiss condemnation of Iran was echoed by other States including the Czech[2] and German[3] governments, which called upon the UN to reject Iran’s application to join the Council.
Iran: a world-record of human rights abuses
Iran is one of the most blatant violators of human rights in the world. No other country executes as many of its children; no other country is headed by a man denying the six million innocent people killed during the Holocaust; no country has been as blatant in its killing of young people peacefully demonstrating in its streets. In all of these well-documented abuses[4], Iran flies in the face of the values and work of the Human Rights Council. For any UN Member States to vote for the election of Iran to the Council would be a sign of the utmost contempt for human rights.
Voting against Iran: defending the Council’s credibility
The late Commission for Human Rights failed because, in the words of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, its work had become irremediably compromised by its politicking and selectivity, and by its failure to address human rights abuses by its member states. Repeating this mistake by electing Iran would lead the Council down the same suicidal path taken by the Commission. The credibility and the future of the Human Rights Council are at stake.
IHEU calls upon the international community, member states of the United Nations and civil society to reject the candidacy of Iran to the Human Rights Council.
[1] “Bundesstrafgericht verweigert Iran jegliche Rechtshilfe“, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 15 March 2010:
http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/schweizbundesstrafgericht_verweigert_iran_jegliche_rechtshilfe_1.5220149.htm
[2] United Nations Human Rights Council, High Level Segment, 3 March 2010:
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/951F614C1C683872C12576DB0042CF5D?OpenDocument
[3] “Germany urges UN: Vote against Iran for Human Rights seat”, Haaretz, 3 March 2010
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1153648.html
[4] Human Rights abuses in Iran: http://iranhr.net, http://www.stopchildexecutions.com