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Ref: 168/M/377
Date: 10 December
2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
61st Anniversary of UDHR
As the world celebrates
Human Rights Day on December 10, and world over human rights defenders are
celebrated and honoured, in Iran they are arrested, detained, tortured,
imprisoned and given long custodial terms.
The protection and
promotion of human rights has become nothing but a mockery in Iran.
International obligations and commitments are ignored. Even Islamic human
rights, which disregards the universality of equality of rights, is not
observed. The Islamic Republic’s own internal laws are not observed. There
are no regards to the fact that political, economic or cultural differences
are unacceptable excuses for justifying violation of rights according to the
religious ideology of the governing hierarchy.
On this 61st
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as the world is
invited to reaffirm its respect for universal human rights and fundamental
freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, members
of Iran’s ethnic groups await death in solitary confinement, and women’s
rights activists are arrested and tortured and imprisoned.
Never in its thirty year
history has the Islamic Republic’s failings in the observation of human
rights been as evident as today; 339 people have been executed including
minors since March 2009; one-third of executions happening between August
and September; over 4000 people were arrested following the June
presidential elections; reports of disappearances, mass burials in unmarked
graves, torture, rape and other degrading and inhuman treatments have been
confirmed by human rights defenders in Iran, themselves paying a high price
for their bravery and courage in speaking out.
On this anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ACI salutes the bravery and courage
of all those advocating democracy, peace and freedom in Iran and calls once
again on the United Nations and the international community to act according
to their international obligations, to offer protection and demand justice
for all whose rights are systematically violated in Iran.
Roya Kashefi
Head of
Human rights Committee - ACI |
