According to the Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA), the winter 2006 report by the Association for Human Rights Defenders cites human rights violations all over the country. In some instances, such as with domestic violence, the report states that education is necessary to increase human rights awareness in society and prevent both intentional and unintentional abuse.
The report also criticizes last year’s election where human rights activists and their lawyers were detained and questioned. The lawyers for Gonabadi Sufis faced extreme aggression by authorities, which led to trials held behind closed doors. The report also cites the prison deaths of Vali-allah Feyz Mahdavi and Akbar Mohammadi, criticizing the lack of investigation in these cases.
Issues discussed in this report include banned books, newspapers, and journals; censorship; blocked internet sites; forced retirement of university professors; university admissions based on gender and political behavior; and aggression by authorities toward journalists, authors, editors, student groups, labor organizations, and women’s rights activists.
The mass firing and subsequent unemployment of tens of thousands of workers, the government’s hostility towards religious and ethnic minorities, and the government’s poor stewardship of Iran’s environment and ancient buildings are also addressed in the report. Additionally, the report asserts that the government does not provide proper care for political prisoners, as many are abused by other prisoners and some are kept in solitary confinement. All of Iran’s prisons are also notoriously unhygienic, says the report.
The report portrays the grave situation of Iran’s laborers and their workplaces. Mishaps this past winter include aggression by authorities of labor activists and threats to dismiss workers and delay paychecks. The report states: “During the last three months, the number of unemployed and dismissed workers has increased, including more than 2,300 workers in Tehran, 755 workers in Ghazvin province, more than 400 workers in Semnan, more than 300 workers in Ilam, more than 200 workers in Mazandaran, and more than 400 workers in Gilan.” This tragedy is better understood in light of the current administration’s inability to control prices and inflation. Real estate prices have increased 40 to 200 percent and the rate of inflation in other provinces has also increased by 17 percent.
The report mentions the dire situation for teachers in Iran, most of whom live in poverty. Despite the flamboyant rhetoric often used in support of teachers, the financial situation for Iranian teachers is grave. Although the teachers filed complaints with their representatives in Parliament, during the last few days of Norouz some of them were illegally arrested.
The report also details the situation of women in Iran, citing the violation of women’s rights, detention of women’s rights activists, and the questioning of 21 female students in Tehran University, some of whom were subsequently suspended.
The Association for Human Rights Defenders also points to the activism of university students and professors, which played an important role in Iran’s political scene this past year. University students have always acted as whistleblowers, confronting unfair treatment of people by government officials, a struggle which has cost some students their lives. The report condemns the court’s rule on detentions, suspensions, denying of admissions, the questioning of more than 100 students, and the banning of student periodicals.
The report also mentions the grim situation for human rights activists, including a court rule that prevents many of them from leaving the country.
Additionally, the report cites 14 cases in which the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance banned and censored books. Twenty-six more cases are cited where newspaper editors throughout Iran were questioned in court.
The government’s poor treatment of historic buildings and remains in Iran, which has occurred since last summer, is also criticized. The Association believes that building the Sivan dam will put Pasargad and other ancient monuments in danger. The government’s negligence in caring for the forests in northern Iran also threatens the environment.
The report emphasizes that until civil institutions, non-governmental organizations, political parties, and labor unions have the ability to criticize the government (as permitted by the Islamic Constitution of Iran), violation of human rights in Iran will continue. If Iranian lawyers were allowed to conduct full and thorough prosecutions (as stated in Article 35 of the Constitution), many of these sad events would not happen.
According to the report, the government violated Articles 27 and 36 of the Islamic Constitution of Iran as well as Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the latter of which guarantees the right to form organizations, political parties, social gatherings, and demonstrations. The arrests of women’s rights activists in front of the Tehran Revolutionary Court and the authorities’ mistreatment of teachers protesting in front of the Parliament are just two instances of how the above articles were violated.
Deterioration of living standards for Iranians is also addressed. The report emphasizes that, despite an increase in oil export revenues in the past last year, the government has no means to reduce poverty and inequality due to poor economic policies that have deteriorated the standard of living for Iranians. Forty to 50 percent increase of real estate prices in the last few months and a near 200 percent increase in some cities is threatening the 30 percent of Iranians who do not own a house.
Additionally, the report adds that a 17 percent increase in inflation has made it difficult for many Iranians to fulfill their basic needs. All of the above issues are in violation of Articles 22 through 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Articles 21, 29, 30, 31, and 43 of Iran’s Constitution. Despite of all these problems, the government’s proposed budget for the current year allocated more money for military and security issues than social welfare. This wasteful budget threatens at least 10 million Iranians living in poverty.
There is also an increase in prostitution, drug addiction, and divorce rates, and the government has no practical plan to deal with these problems.
source: http://www.gozaar.org
