Statement by Mr. Copithorne, Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Commission on Human Rights, Geneva, 22 March - 30 April 1999
item 9: Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
in any part of the world


April 1, 1999


Introduction

Readers of my report will note that it was dated December 28, now over three months ago. I deeply regret the fact that it now seems to take so long to translate and distribute these reports. Perhaps the most important price to be paid for this delay is the fact that the reports are to varying degrees out of date by the time they come up for consideration by the Human Rights Commission, particularly in the case of reports on countries and on subjects which are in a state of flux. As a result, this introduction is considerably longer than has been my practice in the past.

Democracy

Since this report was completed in mid-December there have been a number of important developments in the Islamic Republic. To begin with, local elections have been held, the first since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In the run-up to these elections, it was evident that a test of strength was under way within the Iranian government over the vetting of candidates for this election and the grounds for disqualification. In the end, a compromise was reached and the result, as described by the Minister of the Interior, was that all candidates were qualified unless proven otherwise. About half the 63 million population was eligible to vote of which approximately two thirds were women and voters under 30. According to the Interior Ministry some 330,000 candidates were registered of whom some 5,000 were thought to be women. There were in total 200,000 local council seats to be filled at the village, town and city level. In what is generally regarded as the most important election, that in Tehran itself, 15 co
uncil seats were at stake.

Some 300 women candidates were elected. Women reportedly received the highest or second highest number of votes in 114 urban contests.

Of course it is possible to look at this first effort as a glass half empty and there are those critics who observe that only some 13% of the eligible voters took part in the election and that the figure in Tehran was even less. The actual turnout is unclear, but it may have been much higher.

The Councils have been convened for April 29, and, while it remains to be seen how much power they will be able to exercise, there is a broad expectation that this grass roots process is a major step forward in the development of democratic institutions in Iran.

Status of Women, Status of Minorities

Turning to other subjects I wish to note that no information has come to my attention in the past three months suggesting further substantive developments with regard to either the status of women or the status of religious and ethnic minorities. With regard to the latter, I would note that on the matter of the Baha'is in particular, while there have been some interesting developments which may indicate that improvement may follow, no evidence has come to my attention that the pressure under which the Baha'i community in Iran lives is lessening at this point in time.

Deaths and Disappearances

In my report of last December I referred to the series of deaths and disappearances of prominent intellectuals and political dissidents which had provoked wide-spread concern both within Iran and outside of it. In early January, the Ministry of Information issued a statement that some of its own agents had been involved in these murders. Some ten of the Ministry's staff members were said to have been arrested. It was asserted that the individuals were acting on their own. The investigation was said to be continuing and when completed, those concerned would be brought to trial. The Minister of Information subsequently resigned.

However, the only information that has come to my attention since then is that the charges have been referred to the military court on the grounds that some of the accused are employees of the Ministry of Information. So far, the names of the accused have not been released, nor have any plans been announced for the trials of those concerned. In short, the violence appears to have been attributed to the work of a few rogue or extremist elements including certain persons within the ranks of the Ministry of Information.

More recently there have been reports of other individuals receiving threatening messages from shadowy groups. In this situation, it is perhaps not surprising that rumours are rampant including one that has some of the accused being sent abroad to escape trial. Clearly, more must be done by the government to clarify the situation and in particular to bring people to trial for these dreadful acts. I should add that I have been reassured this week of the Government’s intention to live up to its public commitments in this regard.

Freedom of Expression

Finally, I would note that the domain of freedom of expression continues to be in the area in which the struggle for the full enjoyment of human rights is being more or less continuously joined. In the last three months there have been more cases of journals being suspended and fines being imposed, and in some cases for declared reasons that seem doubtful at best. A foreign wire service carried a story in March that a clerics court had declared that any journal mentioning the name of a prominent religious dissenter would be prosecuted. In the most publicized incident, a university lecturer and seminary teacher was arrested by the clerics court and according to press reports, charged with among other things "confusing public opinion". The arrest has been condemned by senior government ministers.

Conclusion

In summary, the executive branch of the government of the Islamic Republic, under the leadership of President Khatami, continues on a course that if successful, should bring not only a popular legitimacy to government in the Islamic Republic, but also a new respect for the dignity of the individual and for the rights of all citizens. In the meantime, the process is clearly a painful one.

Finally, with regard to the fulfilment of my own mandate, I should add that in this three month period, there has been no sign of an invitation for me to visit the Islamic Republic.

Thank you.