Independent Activists Demand Accountability from the Islamic Republic for Violations of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

A number of "independent activists" have sent a letter to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the indifference of Iranian officials towards the rights of citizens with disabilities, in light of the participation of the head of the Iranian Welfare Organization at the 17th conference of this international body. The letter, sent to Voice of America on Tuesday, June 11, states that Ali Mohammad Ghaderi, the head of the Welfare Organization, attended the 17th session of the World Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities while the "Islamic Republic of Iran has ignored the provisions of the 2006 global convention and the considerations sent to Iran, and has not even implemented the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities approved in 2017 within the country." The letter also emphasizes that "the Islamic Republic has not included the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the annual national budget in recent years and has not provided any enforcement guarantees for it." According to the "independent activists," the existing law in Iran "is not only not fully implemented, but only a few limited provisions are occasionally implemented in a very irregular and insufficient manner," and "the Islamic Republic has no specific program to address the most basic rights and needs of persons with disabilities, including medication and treatment, rehabilitation, daily welfare and livelihood, public transportation, employment, and housing." The activists state that the living conditions of persons with disabilities in Iran are "getting worse every day" and that "inflation is rising daily, pushing more of these citizens below the poverty line." The authors of the letter emphasize that "none of the general laws in the Islamic Republic contain a clause prohibiting discrimination based on disability," and that citizens with disabilities "face systematic discrimination in all aspects of life, without any legal authority to address violations of disability rights." The letter further states that "in the Islamic Republic system, anti-disability laws have been enacted; including the prohibition of blind individuals from being elected to parliament due to their blindness, disqualification of persons with disabilities in employment tests due to their disabilities, and unwritten laws that deprive the deaf community of sign language." Urban deficiencies, including the lack of accessibility of public walkways and buildings, as well as the inaccessibility of public transportation for persons with disabilities, are also mentioned in the letter. The activists emphasize that "the Islamic Republic system is not only not committed to ensuring the human and citizen rights of persons with disabilities, but also during the public uprising following the killing of Mahsa Amini in 2022, it blinded hundreds of protesters and even observers of the demonstrations by shooting directly at their faces and eyes," and "as a result of the shootings and torture of detained protesters, many were injured and became permanently disabled and ill." According to them, "the Islamic Republic regime considers any activism in the field of disability rights as a security issue and has threatened and arrested those who participated in peaceful protests to claim their rights." The letter calls on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to hold the Iranian Welfare Organization accountable for all the mentioned issues and to "expertly review and verify the Iranian reports on the provision of disability rights in Iran before acceptance." The 17th conference of the member states of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be held from Tuesday, June 11 to 13 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. In this conference, which the head of the Iranian Welfare Organization is also expected to attend, "the review of the inclusivity of disability in the current international context" will be discussed. Additionally, "international cooperation to promote technological innovations and transitions for an inclusive future," "persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian crises," and "promoting the rights of persons with disabilities for decent work and sustainable livelihoods" will be among the subtopics discussed at this conference.