Renewed Criticism of Iran's Human Rights Situation in US Annual Report

The US State Department has criticized the human rights situation in Iran in its annual report. The department pointed to severe restrictions on civil liberties, limitations on the ability to conduct free elections peacefully and fairly, and the increasing use of the death penalty for juveniles or crimes that are not even considered 'serious crimes' as the main human rights issues in Iran. The annual report (2015) addresses the human rights situation in countries around the world, with a significant portion of this year's report dedicated to the Middle East and countries like Israel and Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran. John Kerry stated that the United States opposes any form of torture at the time of the report's release. The State Department also noted other issues such as inhumane and extremely violent behaviors, amputation sentences, politically motivated violence, and the dangerous and unsatisfactory conditions of prisons in Iran. According to the department, some arrests are arbitrary and without judicial warrants, the judiciary lacks independence, judicial processes are not fair, and sometimes these unfair processes lead to death sentences; political prisoners are incarcerated, journalists face violence and arrest, censorship looms over the media, and academic officials are under severe restrictions. The US State Department cited economic corruption, lack of government transparency, and restrictions on investigations by non-governmental and international organizations as additional human rights problems in Iran. The department stated that there are legal and social discriminations against women, ethnic and religious minorities, homosexuals, transgender individuals, or bisexuals, anti-Jewish provocations are prevalent in Iran, human trafficking occurs, and there are severe restrictions on labor rights in the country. In the first section of the detailed clauses of this annual report, the issue of executions, which has drawn various criticisms against Tehran, has been addressed. Iran claims that death sentences are issued based on Sharia law; a significant number of executions in Iran relate to drug traffickers, a crime that does not diminish in severity from an international perspective and is not recognized as one of the 'most serious crimes' against humanity. The US State Department, referencing estimates from the 'Iran Human Rights Documentation Center', reported that the number of executions in 2015 was 964; 'sentences that, according to reports, many of which were issued without considering basic due process principles.' The US State Department also criticized the issuance of death sentences for juveniles in Iran and referred to reports indicating that '4 cases' of executions were carried out for individuals who committed crimes under the legal age. According to the department, the law prescribes the death penalty for offenses such as 'moharebeh' (waging war against God), 'fasad fil-arz' (corruption on earth), 'actions against national security', or crimes like murder, rape, drug trafficking, or even accusations like insulting Ayatollah Khamenei and Ayatollah Khomeini. At the same time, the accusation of 'moharebeh with God' is also used to issue death sentences for political prisoners. The annual report of the US State Department also detailed other instances of 'human rights violations' in Iran, such as the 'disappearance' of individuals for political reasons, freedom of expression, freedom of internet access, academic and cultural freedoms, torture and inhumane treatment, prison and detention center conditions, the existence of several parallel security organizations accused of repeated human rights violations, or the presence of over a thousand political prisoners in Iran. According to the US State Department, the non-elected Guardian Council severely restricts the entry of various candidates into elections in Iran. The department also referred to the 2013 presidential election, stating that although the official result regarding Hassan Rouhani's victory aligned with the sentiments of the Iranian people, the electoral mechanism in Iran still falls short of international standards. The US State Department stated that the Iranian government has taken steps to investigate, prosecute, or punish some officials responsible for human rights violations within the government or security organizations. Nevertheless, officials in all sectors remain largely immune from punishment. The United States noted that its report is significantly based on non-American non-governmental sources. The US does not have an embassy in Iran. Iran has not yet responded to the recent report, but in previous instances, it has rejected such criticisms and sometimes reacted strongly to their publication.