The European Parliament ,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, notably
those concerning human rights,
– having regard to the United Nations Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, to all of which Iran is a party,
– having regard to the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue,
– having regard to the statement by its President on the
stoning to death of a man in Iran and the EU Presidency Statement and the
statement by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on the stoning to death of Mr
Jafar Kiani,
– having regard to the Declarations by the Presidency on
behalf of the EU of 25 May 2007 and 3 August 2007 concerning the death
sentence imposed on Sian Paymard, the death sentences imposed on Adnan
Hassanpour and Abdolvahed "Hiva" Botimar, the imminent execution
of Mr Behnam Zare and the death sentence imposed on Mr Ali Mahin Torabi,
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
regarding the exercise of civil rights and political freedoms has
deteriorated in the last two years, notably since the presidential
elections of June 2005, despite the fact that Iran has undertaken to
promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms under the various
international instruments in this field,
B. whereas the number of executions in Iran, including those
of minors and homosexuals, often carried out in public by hanging or
stoning, has dramatically increased, bringing the number of executions
recorded since the start of 2007 to at least 244(1) , a number which exceeds the 177
executions recorded in 2006,
C. whereas the UN General Assembly, during its 62nd session
in 2007, will vote on a resolution calling for a global moratorium on
executions, to be introduced as a step towards the abolition of the death
penalty,
D. whereas recently, for the first time, journalists – Adnan
Hassanpour and Abdolvahed Botimar – have been sentenced to death,
E. whereas the practice of torture and ill-treatment of
prisoners, solitary confinement, clandestine detention, the application of
cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment and impunity for state agents
continue to be widespread,
F. whereas a growing number of intellectuals are being
detained and whereas recently the wave of repression has been extended to
persons having dual nationality, who face the severest charges of
collaboration with foreign powers or espionage,
G. whereas several activists belonging to the women's rights
movement are being or have been prosecuted for their involvement in the
'one million signatures' campaign, which seeks to obtain the repeal of laws
that discriminate against women and which plans to submit those one million
signatures to the National Parliament (Majlis),
H. whereas Iran is still not a party to the United Nations
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
I. whereas in June 2007 the Iranian authorities cracked down
on two student organisations in Tehran; whereas this resulted in arrests,
although a number of the students were subsequently released on bail;
whereas, in addition, the Alumni Association of Iran was closed down, in
violation of Iranian law and international human rights standards on
freedom of association,
J. whereas the introduction of procedural guidelines for
publication by the Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance has been
followed by reinforced censorship, and whereas journalists are increasingly
harassed and imprisoned, while at the same time media outlets are being
regularly closed by the authorities,
K. whereas the repression of the trade union movement has
increased, with arrests of its renowned leaders such as Mansour Osanlou,
president of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company
(SWTBC), and his deputy, Ebrahim Madadi, as well as Mahmoud Salehi, former
President of the Bakery Workers' Union,
L. whereas minorities are increasingly discriminated against
and harassed due to their religious or ethnic background, notably in the border
regions (Kurdistan, Khuzestan, Sistan-Baluchistan, Azerbaijan), and whereas
this includes continued detention and the sentencing to death of some of
their members,
M. whereas members of the religious community of the Baha'is
cannot exercise their faith, are exposed to severe persecution and deprived
of virtually all civil rights (e.g. property rights, access to higher
education), and whereas their religious sites are being vandalised,
N. whereas Iranian asylum-seekers who have been sent back to
Iran by third countries run severe risks of persecution, as shown by the
recent case of Rasool Ali Mezrea, a member of the Al Ahwaz Liberation
Organisation, who is threatened with execution after having been forcibly
returned from Syria, despite his status as a recognised UNHCR refugee,
1. Expresses its deep concern about the deterioration of the
human rights situation in Iran during recent years; appeals to the Iranian
authorities to honour their obligations in accordance with international
human rights standards and instruments ratified by Iran, by promoting
universal values and granting all persons the right to exercise their civil
rights and political freedoms;
2. Strongly condemns the execution by stoning of Mr Jafar
Kiani on 5 July 2007 in the village of Aghche-kand (Qazvin Province) and
calls on the Iranian authorities to implement their declared moratorium on
stoning; demands that the Islamic Penal Code of Iran be reformed in order
to abolish stoning;
3. Is deeply concerned about the dramatic increase in the
repression of civil-society movements in Iran over the past year; calls on
the Iranian authorities to put an end to harsh repression against women's
rights defenders, activists of the 'one million signatures' campaign,
student movements, minority rights defenders, intellectuals, teachers,
journalists, web loggers and trade unionists;
4. Reminds the Government of Iran of its obligations, as a
signatory to the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to safeguard fundamental human
rights, notably freedom of opinion, and calls for the release of all
prisoners of conscience;
5. Is appalled at the spiralling numbers of executions
recorded, many of those executed having undergone unfair trials;
6. Calls on Iran to fully respect its Code of Criminal
Procedure and to grant the right to a fair trial to all individuals,
particularly by allowing them to have access to a lawyer from the beginning
of the judicial process; urges that adequate medical assistance be
unconditionally provided to those prisoners who are in poor health;
7. Strongly condemns the death sentences and executions in
Iran, in particular those imposed and/or carried out on juvenile offenders
and minors, and urges the Iranian authorities to respect internationally
recognised legal safeguards with regard to minors, such as the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child;
8. Calls on the Iranian authorities to put into practice the
ban on torture which was announced by the Head of the Judiciary in April
2004;
9. Calls on the Iranian Parliament to amend the Iranian Press
Law and the Penal Code to bring them into line with the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and notably to repeal all criminal
provisions dealing with the peaceful expression of opinions, including in
the press;
10. Requests that the numerous press organs which have been
closed down or censored be allowed to function under established rules of
freedom of the press;
11. Calls on the Iranian authorities to accelerate the
process of investigation into the suspicious deaths and killings of
intellectuals and political activists, and to bring the alleged
perpetrators to justice;
12. Appeals to the members of the Majlis to urgently amend
the Penal Code in order to transform the moratorium on stoning into a
definitive ban, and to adopt legislation outlawing the execution of
juvenile offenders and the imposition of the death penalty for homosexual
acts or adultery;
13. Calls on the Iranian authorities to implement all
required safeguards in capital cases and to limit the scope of crimes
punishable by death, as a first step towards the total abolition of the
death penalty; calls on the people of Iran to support the campaign entitled
'Stop the Death Penalty: the World Decides' initiated by the World
Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) and other non-governmental
organisations;
14. Calls on the authorities to respect internationally
recognised legal safeguards with regard to persons belonging to religious
minorities, officially recognised or otherwise; condemns the current
disrespect of minority rights and calls for minorities to be able to
exercise all rights granted by the Iranian Constitution and international
law; further calls on the authorities to eliminate all forms of
discrimination on religious or ethnic grounds or against persons belonging
to minorities, such as Kurds, Azeris, Arabs, Baluchis and Baha'is; calls in
particular for the de facto ban on practising the Baha'i faith to be
lifted;
15. Calls on the Iranian authorities to unconditionally
release all prisoners of conscience, notably the journalists Emaddedin
Baghi, Ako Kurdnasab, Ejlal Ghavami, Mohammad Sadegh Kaboudvand, Said
Matinpour, Adnan Hassanpour, Abdolvahed Botimar, Kaveh Javanmard and Mohammad
Hassan Fallahieh, the unionists Mansour Osanlou, Ebrahim Madadi and Mahmoud
Salehi,and the students Ehsan Mansouri, Majid Tavakoli and Ahmad Ghassaban;
16. Urges the United Nations General Assembly to vote on a
resolution explicitly and decisively condemning the violation of
fundamental human rights in Iran and to adopt urgent measures to halt the
recent wave of executions in Iran;
17. Calls on the Council and the Commission to closely
monitor developments in Iran and also to raise concrete cases of human
rights abuses; calls on the Council and the Commission to report on the
monitoring of the situation in Iran;
18. Proposes to restart the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue,
which has been interrupted since June 2004;
19. Reaffirms its support for all those organisations and
individuals in Iran that pursue dialogue in their struggle for democratic
rights;
20. Calls on the Commission to do its best to support civil
society, academic, socio-economic and cultural exchanges between Europe and
Iran in the interests of an open dialogue, notably through the new
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
21. Calls on the EU Member States to refrain from expulsions
of Iranian asylum-seekers, including those persecuted on the basis of their
sexual orientation, and calls on Greece not to return Mohammad Hassan
Talebi, Mohammad Hossein Jaafari and Vahid Shokoohi Nia to Iran;
22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the
Council, the Commission, the High Representative for the CFSP, the
governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of
the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, the Head of the State
Supreme Court of Iran and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
(1)
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Source:
Amnesty International as at 18 October 2007.
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