International Human Rights Day; Equality of Rights and Human Dignity for All

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; this is the slogan of the United Nations this year on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the designation of International Human Rights Day. Seventy years ago, on this day, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations to serve as a global standard for respecting the fundamental rights of humans. Freedom and equality, regardless of color, race, or gender, the right to freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and the right to choose religion are all rights of every human being according to the Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration, along with two international covenants, namely the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, are the most important international standards for human rights. Iran has been a party to these covenants for 43 years. Abdolkarim Lahiji, a lawyer in Paris, explains about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "It joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1975, and these covenants were ratified by the Iranian parliament. This means that at least within the framework of Article 9 of the Iranian Civil Code, these covenants have the force of domestic law." All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; this is the slogan of the United Nations this year and a world that still has a long way to go to achieve it, say human rights defenders who believe that wherever human values are overlooked, it is everyone's duty to support human rights. But what is the situation in Iran? Hassan Naib Hashem, a human rights activist in Vienna, responds to this question: "This is Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all are born free and equal, and have dignity and rights from the very beginning, enjoying their natural and social rights. Unfortunately, the Islamic Republic has violated these rights from its inception to the end, even after death. Children do not enjoy many of the rights stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has ratified, at various stages of their lives. There is no freedom, there is no equality, and human dignity is violated from the very beginning." The United Nations and human rights defenders accuse Iranian officials of violating several aspects of human rights. One of these is the right to life, which human rights defenders believe the Islamic Republic violates through numerous executions. Iran is the second country in the world after China in terms of high execution statistics and is one of the few countries that continues to execute juvenile offenders, individuals who were under 18 at the time of committing the crime. Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, head of the Iran Human Rights Organization in Norway, says: "The right to life is considered the most important and fundamental human right, which, in addition to being part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we know that human dignity cannot be achieved without respecting the right to life. Compared to previous years, we have witnessed a significant decrease in the number of executions; this year, about 250 people have been executed so far, which is almost half of last year's statistics. This is a positive point, but at the same time, this statistic represents the highest execution rate relative to the country's population in the world. So far this year, at least six child offenders have been executed in Iran, and unfortunately, Iran is among the few countries that carry out public executions." In addition to the death penalty, the application of corporal punishments such as flogging and amputation of fingers in Iran is also considered "inhumane" by human rights defenders. Nevertheless, this year, as in previous years, dozens of flogging sentences have been carried out in Iran, and several thieves have also received sentences for finger amputation. Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, considers these sentences medieval: "I find it very shocking that in the 21st century, this has no place, and of course, it is a complete violation of international laws and standards to which the Iranian government is committed. In fact, it is a form of horrific torture." Human rights defenders criticize the performance of Iran's judiciary, questioning the proceedings that lead to sentencing, especially regarding political and ideological prisoners. "The lack of many defendants' access to a fair trial in independent courts and their lack of access to a chosen lawyer, especially during the temporary detention phase" in Iran has been a subject of criticism from human rights defenders in recent years. Hassan Naib Hashem, a human rights activist in Vienna, states: "Since the beginning of the revolution, the process of fair trial has not been present, and in various courts, especially revolutionary courts, the procedures that are common worldwide have been violated. It is natural that sentences based on arbitrary arrests and after detentions under conditions that are often accompanied by torture are not fair at all. The fair trial process has its specific definitions worldwide, and in Iran, in recent years, it has been violated with the new trial regulations." The arrest of journalists and media activists in Iran is also among the issues criticized in the recent resolution of the Third Committee of the United Nations and in the report of Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran. Reporters Without Borders states that Iran remains one of the five largest prisons in the world for media activists. Hengameh Shahidi, Pouyan Khushhal, Masoud Kazemi, Sadegh Qaisari, Amir Hossein Mir Asmaeili, and Kiumars Marzban are among those who have been arrested in recent months in connection with their media activities, according to Reporters Without Borders. Reza Moieni, head of the Iran section at Reporters Without Borders, states: "Reporters Without Borders considers the arrest of journalists to be wrong, which is harmful to the freedom of information and very negative for the right of society to be informed. The fact that a journalist, from any group, faction, or thought, is arrested within the framework of journalistic activities, effectively negates freedom of expression and freedom of information." Other issues for which Iranian officials are accused include the violation of the rights of religious minorities, such as Baha'is, Gonabadi Dervishes, Christians, and Christian converts. However, the situation of Baha'is has always been at the forefront of criticisms related to the violation of freedom of belief and religion in Iran. According to a recent report by Javaid Rehman, Baha'is face "discrimination and social deprivation" in addition to arrest and imprisonment. These include deprivation of education, prohibition of employment in government offices, and closure of their businesses. Over the past four decades, hundreds of Baha'i citizens in Iran have faced these issues. Simin Fahandezh, spokesperson for the Baha'i International Community in Geneva, elaborates on this: "Baha'is in Iran are imprisoned solely because of their belief in the Baha'i Faith. In recent years, hundreds of Baha'i families have been deprived of their livelihood, and their shops have been sealed under false pretenses, such as closing shops on religious days. Likewise, Baha'is are still deprived of the right to education and are not allowed to study at the country's universities." The situation of political and ideological prisoners and their "lack of access" to medical facilities has also been repeatedly protested by prisoners in recent years, prisoners who sometimes see no option but to go on hunger strikes to protest their conditions in prison, such as Nasrin Sotoudeh, Farhad Meythami, Arash Sadeghi, Soheil Arabi, Atena Daemi, Gonabadi Dervishes, and dozens of others. Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, comments on the conditions of Iranian prisons: "Political and ideological prisoners, due to the poor conditions of the prison, when they become ill, are neglected in their treatment. We have witnessed numerous hunger strikes to draw the attention of officials to the fact that they are sick and in need of treatment." December 10 of this year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the designation of International Human Rights Day, while 85 countries in the Third Committee of the United Nations accused Iranian officials of human rights violations in a resolution about a month ago. A resolution that Iran describes as "rejected, biased, and politically motivated" and is set to be voted on in the UN General Assembly in a few days.