IHRWG-Rights Agenda for Iran's Sixth Parliament

Persian Version:

Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG)
P.O. Box 2422,
Portland, OR 97208,
U.S.A.
Email: ihrwg@Tehran.Stanford.Edu,
WWW: www.ihrwg.org/
Fax: (+44 1473) 250742


PRESS RELEASE


27th May 2000

IHRWG proposes human rights agenda for the new Iranian parliament

In an open letter to the new parliament in Iran today, the Iranian Human
Rights Working Group highlighted the systematic and continuous violation
of human rights in Iran and took the deputies to task on their election
promises to work for the betterment of the human rights of the Iranian
people.

The group noted that on one hand ?Iran is, both structurally and
operationally, amongst the worst violators of human rights in the world?
and on the other hand ?the level of public awareness and demand for
freedom, democracy and human rights? amongst the Iranian people has
never been so widely pronounced over the last two decades. Furthermore,
the group noted that many of the deputies have found their way into the
parliament solely on the basis of the promises they made for restoration
of these rights.

The group lists some of the worst examples of human rights violations,
from the recent clampdown on the newspapers and detention of journalists
and dissidents, to the systematic denial of human rights to a majority
of the population on the grounds of sex and beliefs, to the injustices
carried out by the judiciary system, and to the continuation of harsh
and inhuman treatment and punishments still being practiced in Iran.

In view of these harsh realities, the group reminds the deputies that it
is their duty towards their electorate to do whatever they can ?to put a
stop to all these injustices, discriminations and violation of the
people?s rights?. It further remarks that democracy can only be
established if the people have the ?right to choose freely and on an
equal footing.?

The group then proposes agendas for the restoration of full human rights
in Iran over the lifetime of the parliament. The agendas are structured
in four parts as follows:

· The ?Immediate? agenda includes annulment of the recently passed harsh
press law, lifting of the ban on the recently closed publications,
freedom for all political and religious prisoners, and investigation of
the attacks on university campuses and extra-judicial killings in recent
years.
· The ?Short Term? (first three months) agenda covers annulment of the
revolutionary and special courts, a moratorium on all cruel and inhumane
punishments, including the death penalty, legislation for the freedom of
expression, association and publication for all, removal of restrictions
on women in dress code, jobs, travel, education etc, and guarantee for
personal freedom and privacy.
· The ?Medium Term? (first year) agenda deals with structural reforms of
the judiciary system, removal of all forms of sexual and religious
discriminations from the statute-book, reform of the election laws to
guarantee universal suffrage and equal rights for all, and setting up a
truth commission to investigate violation of human rights since the
revolution.
· The ?Long Term? (lifetime of the parliament) agenda covers reform of
the Constitution and inclusion of the rights specified in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in the Constitution, setting up of a welfare
system to guarantee a standard of living, health and housing for all,
and setting up a tribunal to prosecute all who have been involved in the
violation of human rights of Iranians since the revolution.

In the letter, the group also expresses the hope that deputies who had
been elected on the motto of ?Iran for all Iranians? stay true to their
commitments and carry through the proposed measures. The group adds
that it, along with ?millions of Iranians?, will closely watch the
performance of the new parliament in the area of human rights, and
declares itself ready to offer ?its expertise? on any of the items
included in the proposed agendas.

The full text of the letter is available in Persian at our homepage
www.ihrwg.org




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