Sanctioned Iranian Minister to Attend UN Human Rights Council Meeting

Alireza Avaei, Iran's Minister of Justice, is set to participate in the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Switzerland. Mr. Avaei is on the European Union and Swiss human rights sanctions list. The Human Rights Council meeting will commence on March 7 and will last for nearly a month, with leaders and senior officials from 100 countries and international organizations attending the first three days. Alireza Avaei, who is attending this meeting, was included in the EU sanctions list in October 2011 along with 28 other officials. The EU has accused these 29 individuals of 'serious human rights violations,' including issuing and enforcing death sentences, torture, and delivering unjust judicial rulings. The EU has urged its members to refrain from issuing visas to these individuals and to freeze their assets. Switzerland has also imposed sanctions against Mr. Avaei. At the time the sanctions list was published, Avaei was the head of the judiciary in Tehran Province. Mr. Avaei's presence at the Geneva meeting has faced protests and criticisms. A member of the National Council of Resistance, affiliated with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, told AFP that supporters of this group will protest. Some opponents of the Islamic Republic claim that Alireza Avaei played a 'key role' in the execution of political prisoners in 1988. He served as the public and revolutionary prosecutor in Dezful and Ahvaz from 1979 to 1988. The Associated Press also reports that Alireza Avaei's presence at the Human Rights Council could overshadow the council's performance; a council that Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, criticized last year for allowing 'human rights violators' to participate. On the other hand, a Swiss government official told AFP that the sanctions against Iran's current Minister of Justice are 'only financial sanctions,' and Swiss officials can make exceptions for anyone they wish. The spokesperson for the Human Rights Council stated that governments must decide who will represent them in Geneva. A UN spokesperson told AFP that Alireza Avaei is not on the UN sanctions list.