Human Rights Watch Condemns Guardian Council's Rejection of Anti-Torture Bill

Human Rights Watch issued a statement condemning the Guardian Council's decision to reject the anti-torture bill. Hani Maghalli, the director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, stated that the ruling of the Guardian Council disregards the prohibitions outlined in Iranian law and international law regarding the use of torture for obtaining confessions, allowing judges to accept confessions as evidence in criminal trials, even if it is clear that they were obtained under torture. Human Rights Watch's statement emphasizes that the Guardian Council's decision contradicts Iran's commitments as a member state of the United Nations Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The organization pointed out that the ruling also ignores the explicit prohibition in Iran's own constitution against using torture to obtain confessions. Human Rights Watch expressed concern over the limited scope of the current ban on torture in Iranian law, highlighting the need to strengthen and clarify this prohibition to align it with international standards. For instance, Article 38 of the Iranian Constitution only prohibits torture of prisoners for the purpose of obtaining confessions, lacking a specific prohibition against the use of torture for other purposes or as a punishment. The organization noted that torture is widespread in Iran, partly due to the absence of a clear and decisive legal prohibition against its use. In its statement, Human Rights Watch listed the shortcomings of the parliamentary bill that was vetoed by the Guardian Council, stating that the bill, as written, does not provide sufficient protections against torture and falls far short of Iran's international obligations. Hani Maghalli stated that now that this bill has been sent back to the Legal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the Parliament, Iranian lawmakers have another opportunity to draft a bill that significantly enhances protections against torture in Iranian law. The passage of a law to prevent torture is rightly a priority, and members of Parliament must rise to the challenge of drafting and presenting a bill that better protects Iranian citizens from being tortured by government officials.