Asma Jahangir: Iranian Officials Did Not Challenge the Information in the Report

Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, presented her first report on Iran to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday and stated in her speech at the council meeting in Geneva that the human rights situation in Iran has reached a 'warning' level. In response, Iranian officials described her report as 'unfair and based on incorrect information' and called for the cancellation of the UN Special Rapporteur's mission on human rights in Iran. In an exclusive interview with Radio Farda, Asma Jahangir was asked about the details of her report: 'All the issues I mentioned in my report are very important. However, I think some of the more significant issues relate to arrests, political prisoners, and the execution of defendants under 18 years old in Iran, which continues. Another point I made in my report is that there is no independent judiciary in Iran, and individuals' legal rights are not respected during their trial process.' Iranian officials, including the Foreign Ministry, reacted to your report, calling it 'unfair and based on incorrect information.' What is your response to their statements and criticisms? 'As far as possible, I checked the accuracy of my information both inside and outside Iran. Perhaps I did not have enough time to verify all the information. However, I sent a draft of the report to the Iranian government. In a hundred-page response they sent me, they did not point out any errors or inaccuracies in my report, but they opposed it. Well, you can agree or disagree with anything.' In part of your report, you wrote that improving the human rights situation in Iran requires deep changes in the laws and behavior of the Islamic Republic officials. Do you think these changes are possible in Iran? 'I think such changes are possible in any country. For example, when the Revolutionary Guards or the Ministry of Intelligence arrest individuals, they torture them in prison or during interrogation, and in some cases, lawyers and judges also lack independence. Well, this is a structural problem in the judicial system and is not related to religion.' Over the years, Iranian officials, including Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, have repeatedly stated in response to criticisms of the human rights situation in Iran that these criticisms relate to differences between Islamic laws and Western countries. What is your opinion on this? Do you think human rights principles are universal, or can they differ from country to country? 'I am a special rapporteur on human rights and must examine all cases based on universal human rights laws. Countries are not required to be members of the UN or the Human Rights Council. Well, when they voluntarily join the UN or the Human Rights Council, they must adhere to global standards.' You were born and raised in a Muslim country, and in your home country of Pakistan, the death penalty also exists, and there have been criticisms of the number of executions in Pakistan over the years. What do you think about Islamic laws? 'Yes. We also have the death penalty in Pakistan. But here I speak as a special rapporteur on human rights, not as a Muslim or a Pakistani citizen. Every Muslim country has its own laws, but that is not the issue now. The issue is that I am the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and the UN provides me with specific guidelines, and I follow those guidelines. Iran is a member of the UN and has joined two global conventions, so it must adhere to global human rights positions.' Before your appointment as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed held this position for five and a half years and presented multiple reports on Iran to the UN. However, as you say, the human rights situation in Iran has not improved significantly. How optimistic are you that your reports can impact the human rights situation in Iran? 'I am not very optimistic because I see the Iranian government's oversight of human rights compliance issues as weak, and I think they fundamentally do not recognize the existing facts about human rights problems in Iran.' You also spoke about Hassan Rouhani's Citizen's Rights Charter and evaluated it as a positive step. While right now, as we speak, several journalists are imprisoned in Iran, and in recent days, several more journalists have been arrested and are under interrogation. Do you think these arrests contradict Mr. Rouhani's Citizen's Rights Charter? 'I also mentioned in my report that when Mr. Rouhani published the Citizen's Rights Charter, I was very happy. But shortly after that, several journalists, women's rights activists, and social media activists were arrested. After that, I became very disappointed because the charter stated that journalists should be able to freely and without fear engage in their professional activities, which did not happen.' Ms. Jahangir, as a final question, I want to ask if you have plans to travel to Iran to closely examine the human rights situation there? And do you think that given that Ahmed Shaheed was not allowed to travel to Iran, Iranian officials will grant you permission for this trip? 'At the moment, I have doubts. But I continue to strive in this regard to find common ground between the human rights demands of the United Nations and the Iranian government to ultimately gain the trust of Iranian officials to allow me to travel to Iran.'