MPG UN Protest Report

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UN Protest Report in Farsi, (Acrobat PDF Format)

UN Protest Report

Today in New York, in front of the UN buildings, some of the Iranian torture victims protested at the shameful resolution by the UN Human Rights Commission, to un-list the Islamic Republic from the list of human rights abusers.

Roozbeh Farahanipour from Marzeporgohar Party (MPG), who himself was a victim of human rights abuse by the clerical dictatorship in Iran, chained himself to the pillar outside the UN building in a symbolic gesture representing those in captivity, and held a poster which listed the 20 countries who voted in favor of the Islamic Republic, with the word SHAME written against each one of them. Roozbeh's harrowing account of the treatment of Iranian political prisoners in the Towhid detention center has already been translated and published on the internet and used by Amnesty International.

Afshin Tajian, also from MPG, who was also in the Towhid prison, also represented Iran's oppressed religious minorities, who are regarded as second class citizens by the ruling religious apartheid in Iran. Tajian also pointed out the increase of human rights abuses, immediately after this resolution. He cited the inhumane treatment and 8 year sentence against the 72 year old Iranian journalist Siamak Pourzand, the stoning sentence against the Iranian woman Ferdos B, reported by Islamic Republic s own dailies, and the re-instatement of the cruel and barbaric "Apollo Helmet" and "White" torture methods as just a few examples of the consequences of this overtly political resolution by countries who themselves are major abusers of Human Rights.

Throughout the 3 hour picket and protest, leaflets were distributed to the people of New York, explaining how the resolution by UN Human Rights Commission is a mockery of all the values that this organization is supposed to stand for.

At the end, the protesters declared the said UN resolution to be a far cry from the truth and the reality of the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and called upon all freedom loving people of the world to bring pressure on the UN to re-instate the token gesture of a UN Human Rights Rapporteur by protesting to :

The Hon. Mary Robinson
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone Number (41-22) 917-9000
Telefax number: +41-22-917 9010
secrt.hchr@unog.ch

The protesters also expressed their gratitude to all the good work carried out by Maurice Copithorne, the previous Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights in Iran. MPG Payande Iran.

MPG Press Release:

On Friday, 19th April this year, The United Nation's main human rights body decided to un-list the Islamic Republic of Iran from its list of Human Rights abusers.

The decision by a vote of 20-19 with 14 abstentions means that for the first time after 19 years, the clerics in Iran will be spared the token gesture of having to report to a Human Rights investigator. In short it means a free hand for the Ayatollahs to CONTINUE torturing, maiming and executing Iranian political prisoners.

Freedom loving people of the world! This UN decision is a mockery of all the values that this organization is supposed to stand for.

Roozbeh Farahanipour, himself a victim of torture by the clerical dictatorship in Iran, will be staging a protest to condemn this insane decision.

Join him in solidarity on Monday May 13th, 2002 between 11:00am and 2:00pm outside UN buildings at the Ralph Bunche Park (43rd Street and 1st Avenue).

Do not let a state that sponsors terrorists get away with it. Support our protest.

'Evil Only Prevails When the Good Stay Silent'

Press Release In Farsi