UN Human Rights Council Appoints a Special Rapporteur on Iran: What’s next?

Mar 25, 20110 comments

Return of the Watch Dog Activists worldwide celebrated a rare win yesterday as the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has successfully voted to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Iran, expressing concern over the Islamic Republic of Iran’s lack of cooperation with the General Assembly’s previous call for authorities to improve their human rights record. (Read reactions from various activists here.) This is the first time, since the UNHRC was created five years ago, that the Council has appointed a special rapporteur on a specific country. “Today’s strong action by the international community through the appointment of a special rapporteur on Iran is an unmistakable signal that the world is serious about getting Iran to stop abuses against its citizens,” said Executive Director of the Democracy Coalition Project, Dokhi Fassihian.

Photo Credit: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

“It is not something that is taken lightly or without serious national and international debate. In fact, this is the first country rapporteur to be established since the creation of the UN Human Rights Council in 2006 so the significance of the vent cannot be overstated… This is a strong signal of support to the Iranian people that the world is paying attention to their efforts to attain their rights. Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released an interim report to the UNHRC expressing concern about “reports of increased executions, amputations, arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trials, and possible torture and ill treatment of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and opposition activists.” Now, the UN Human Rights Council is urging the Islamic Republic of Iran “to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur and to permit access to visit the country as well as all necessary information to enable fulfillment of the mandate.” Student activist and Editor-in-Chief of DaneshjooNews.com, Puyan Mahmudian, expressed hope that the appointed rapporteur “knowing the importance of academia to civil society of Iran… pays extremely close attention to the systematic violations of the human and civil rights of Iran’s academics and educational institutions.” Mr. Mahmudian appeared before the UN Human Rights Council only days ago to share his unique insights and experiences with the IRI’ student oppression. Previously, the Commission on Human Rights (predecessor of the UNHRC) had adopted a resolution on Iran (through 2001) mandating that a special investigator annually report on Iran’s rights abuses. After 1997, Iran did not allow investigators to enter the country, and by 2002, the resolution had fallen by the wayside. Elise Auerbach, Iran Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA emphasized that the appointment of a special rapporteur would ensure that “Iran [remains] under the spotlight and that it cannot continue to show its contempt for the will of the international community without consequences.” The Vote Breakdown: Welcome Surprises Of the 46 eligible-to-vote member states, 22 voted in favor, 7 voted against, and 14 abstained. (Libya did not vote because of its recent suspension from the UN Human Rights Council.) Three countries, Angola, Kyrgyzstan, and Qatar did not participate in the vote and left the session prior to the beginning of voting. Iran’s “traditional” supporters, including China, Cuba, and Pakistan, were responsible for the “No” votes – with claims that the appointment of the monitoring mechanism was politically motivated and interfered with Iran’s internal affairs. The surprising (and welcome!) “Yes” votes came from Brazil, Senegal, and South Korea. Brazil’s “Yes” vote in particular comes as a welcome development, because the country hasn’t voted on anything over the last decade that didn’t stand in accordance with Iran’s preferences. Brazil’s firm support for a monitoring mechanism is the surest sign yet of its shifting posture with Iran. Iran responded to the appointment by claiming the vote was “unfair and unjustified.”

Yes No Abstained Did Not Vote
Argentina Bangladesh Bahrain Angola
Belgium China Burkina Faso Kyrgyzstan
Brazil Cuba Cameroon Qatar
Chile Ecuador Djibouti
France Mauritania Gabon
Guatemala Pakistan Ghana
Hungary Russian Federation Jordan
Japan Malaysia
Maldives Mauritius
Mexico Nigeria
Norway Saudi Arabia
Poland Thailand
Republic of Korea Uganda
Republic of Moldova Uruguay
Senegal
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
United States of America
Zambia

Role & Limitations of the Rapporteur The Rapporteur, who will report to both the UNHRC and the General Assembly, will be appointed at June’s 17th Session of the Human Rights Council and will present a report on Iran at the 19th session in March 2012. In a RFE/RL interview with Maurice Copithorne, the last person appointed to act as the UN Rapporteur on Iran, the former appointee detailed the challenges and limitations the upcoming appointee will face in getting Iran to cooperate. Copithorne emphasizes that one of the biggest challenges will be for the rapporteur to be invited to Iran: “The longstanding principle in these areas [is] that [Rapporteurs] will not impose upon the country concerned, but that the country concerned has to invite special Rapporteurs — or whatever they may be called — into the country. In other words, in my case, I couldn’t just walk into Iran. I had to be invited by the Iranian government. And when they read my first report, they were so unhappy that I was never invited for a second visit.” He further notes that appointing the Rapporteur and the expected report is only the first step in holding Iran accountable for its rights abuses. One of the biggest challenges, he says in the interview, will be to get Iran to implement the recommendations – especially considering its rejection of the recommendations made last year. Copithorne also says that while appointing a Rapporteur will not necessarily have an immediate impact, it increases the pressure on authorities: “Even though I only got in Iran once and even though the Iranian government was trying to ignore my reports, my reports were still circulated very widely within the UN structure and the press wrote it up every time… it was a [form of] psychological warfare.” A Collective Effort, A Collective Win Human rights teams, NGOs, and grassroots activists worldwide formed a chorus of voices urging the UNHRC to appoint a human rights monitor on Iran. The efforts were done at multiple levels, from grassroots networks to international bodies. Says Ms. Fassihian: “It is a result of two years of effort by Iranian human rights defenders and the human rights community to bring attention to the plight of Iranian people – bolstered by the refusal of Iran to cooperate or heed the recommendations of the international community to respect the rights of its citizens.” Many NGOs have dedicated extraordinary time and effort in advocating for a Special Rapporteur by reaching out to their respective governments and UN representatives to propel the monitor forward. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran recently said of the organization’s tireless efforts over the past two years:

“Contrary to political statements and the attacks the Iranian delegation made against the US and western countries throughout the session, as well as accusing the Council of being used for political aims, the roles of international human rights organizations, local human rights organizations in many countries in the world, from Latin America to the US and from North Africa to Europe, is a pivotal role for convincing their countries to vote a certain way… The Iranian human rights activists’ professional and concentrated efforts in Europe, the US, and certain other countries, through pulling together evidence and providing detailed and reliable documentation for UN organizations, international human rights organizations, and Council member states is one of the most important factors in mobilizing the positive vote on the resolution.”

U4I launched a postcard campaign about six weeks ago, encouraging activists worldwide to mail postcards to UNHRC members urging them to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Iran. With the help of all of you, whether you shared the action with your networks, mailed a postcard, or donated to the postcard campaign, we raised enough funds to mail over 750 postcards to the UN Human Rights Council Members ahead of the vote. Tori Egherman of Arseh Sevom remarked that the appointment “reflects the hard work of many civil society activists inside and outside Iran. The international community is beginning to understand the authenticity of both the complaints of human rights abuses and the demand for justice by citizens of Iran. If we have learned anything over the past few years, it is that there can be no justice without respect for human rights, not just in the West, but all over the world.” The UNHRC win has re-invigorated the human rights community and will hopefully afford some optimism to the Iranian people. Diane Ala’i, Representative to the United Nations for Bahá’í International Community echoed a similar sentiment that the rapporteur’ s findings would “be a source of pressure on Iran to comply with its commitments and deliver on its claims. It will also be a source of comfort for all those, including the Baha’is, who are suffering in Iran because they hold a different opinion or belief.” No doubt, all of these efforts combined made a strong case to the Council’s members and demonstrated just how serious the international community is and remains about holding the Islamic Republic accountable for its rights violations. From here our collective work just begins. While the monitor is a giant first step in documenting and highlighting the deteriorating rights situation in Iran, we must build on these reports and be ready to take action. Jennifer Quigley, Advocacy Director for the U.S. Campaign for Burma (well acquainted with the struggle for human rights!) said of the success: “After years of struggling to gain international recognition of the seriousness of human rights abuses in their country, Iranian human rights defenders and activists have achieved a significant victory today… This is a momentous step towards ending human rights abuses and promoting justice and accountability in Iran.” Today’s success belongs to everyone: to the advocates who traveled to Geneva; to the NGOs whose tireless campaigning remains invaluable; and to the concerned citizens who wrote letters and mailed postcards to their UN representatives, and most importantly, to the brave Iranian people who continue to push on.

Responses & Reactions to the UN Human Rights Council Vote U4I spoke with various activists to get their reactions and insights. Full statements from various sources can be found below. Dokhi Fassihian, Executive Director, Democracy Coalition Project Today’s strong action by the international community through the appointment of a special rapporteur on Iran is an unmistakable signal that the world is serious about getting Iran to stop abuses against its citizens. It is not something that is taken lightly or without serious national and international debate. In fact, this is the first country rapporteur to be established since the creation of the UN Human Rights Council in 2006 so the significance of the vent cannot be overstated. It is a result of two years of effort by Iranian human rights defenders and the human rights community to bring attention to the plight of Iranian people – bolstered by the refusal of Iran to cooperate or heed the recommendations of the international community to respect the rights of its citizens. The Iranian government should be encouraged to allow the expert to visit Iran and allow him or her to carry out the mandate. The rapporteur will be tasked with investigating allegations of abuse and informing and assisting the international community and the Iranian government in providing redress to victims and upholding its obligations to uphold human rights in Iran. This is a strong signal of support to the Iranian people that the world is paying attention to their efforts to attain their rights. Puyan Mahmudian, Editor-in-Chief, DaneshjooNews.com We, as student activists, expect the special reporter to pay attention to the horrible state of academic rights in Iran. Though it may sound bizarre, it remains a reality that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only regime that systematically uses education deprivation as a tool for large-scale suppression. The totalitarian government has always been in conflict and engaged in confrontation with Iran’s academia, for these very people dedicated to the principle of freedom of expression. Many of the human rights violations of occur to student activists. At least 70 of them are now enduring long prison terms. There are hundreds who were released on bail that are still waiting for their trials and thousands deprived of a very basic Human Right, namely the right to education. Independent organizations and critical student journals are banned throughout university campuses. University professors are being fired time because of their critical stance toward the government. Therefore, considering the catastrophic situation of human rights inside Iranian Universities, and knowing the importance of academia to civil society of Iran, we urge that the appointed rapporteur pay extremely close attention to the systematic violations of the human and civil rights of Iran’s academia and educational institutions. Elise Auerbach, Iran Country Specialist, Amnesty International USA For too long the Iranian government has been insisting that it is committed to fulfilling its obligations under international law while at the same time blatantly shirking its responsibilities and refusing to admit international monitors despite repeated promises that it would do so. The appointment of a special rapporteur will ensure that Iran will remain under the spotlight and that it cannot continue to show its contempt for the will of the international community without consequences. There are certainly elements in the Iranian government that have no compunction about viciously trampling on the basic rights of their own people, but other elements are surely more sensitive to world opinion. We can only hope that those more moderate elements will be emboldened by the appointment of the special rapporteur and will dedicate themselves to the hard work of bringing Iran into compliance with internationally recognized human rights standards. Diane Ala’i, Representative to the United Nations, Bahá’í International Community The appointment of a Special Rapporteur will allow the international community to get accurate, timely and correct information on the human rights situation in Iran from an independent expert that will have been chosen by the UN.   His/her findings will certainly be a source of pressure on Iran to comply with its commitments and deliver on its claims. It will also be a source of comfort for all those, including the Baha’is, who are suffering in Iran because they hold a different opinion or belief. Jennifer Quigley, Advocacy Director, U.S. Campaign for Burma As a Burma human rights advocate, I have witnessed how powerful it is to have a Burma Special Rapporteur for human rights in a system dominated by governments where the voice of the people is barely heard. After years of struggling to gain international recognition of the seriousness of human rights abuses in their country, Iranian human rights defenders and activists have achieved a significant victory today, with the UN Human Rights Council’s appointment of a Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. Special Rapporteurs shed light on human rights abuses governments would like to keep hidden from the world and provide a voice to those most in need of the world’s attention.  This is a momentous step towards ending human rights abuses and promoting justice and accountability in Iran. Tori Egherman, Arseh Sevom The fact that a Special Rapporteur for Human Rights was appointed reflects the hard work of so many civil society activists inside and outside Iran. The international community is beginning to understand the authenticity of both the complaints of human rights abuses and the demand for justice by citizens of Iran. If we have learned anything over the past few years, it is that there can be no justice without respect for human rights, not just in the West, but all over the world.

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