Tonight we were confronted by a very sticky, yet important, issue in Iran: human rights abuses. What was said is that the Iranian government has systematically tortured, jailed and executed dissidents without due process of law in many cases. But there's much more to it than that and I don't feel like we addressed your questions sufficiently. So I feel obligated at this point to direct you to more reliable, substantive sources. Check out this coverage by the Human Rights Watch. Also, check out this short article by Amnesty International. If you're interested in writing about this for your final paper, please email us with you specific topic.
Again, I encourage ALL of you to search further in the topic of human rights in Iran. A lot is shrouded in mystery, but most of the cases cannot be denied by the Islamic Republic.
- Keyan
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note: Don't click on the above link...it's a spam link! (trust me, I tried it)
Human rights violations are committed on a daily basis, in every country, however, to varying degrees.
That we were unable to discuss this topic in class was disheartening due to the nature of severity of this issue, and its prevalence in society. The main issue at hand is the alleged mass killing of thousands of people in Iran primarily due to political dissent. From what we have discussed throughout the course, the killings are committed as a response to religious and social "dissent" as well (Sunni-Shia divide, homosexuals).
The notion of unjustified execution notwithstanding, the basis of political dissent seems least valid as grounds for a systematic bloodshed, let alone in a country preaching democratic values.
In recent years, claims that have been made against Iran have been especially virulent, and no doubt exaggerated. However, as much as the media outlets portray an entity inaccurately, there is generally a small amount of truth buried beneath the "story". And in the case of Iran's alleged violations of human rights, the Human Rights Watch points out that they are products of vague legislation setting forth the criteria of national security called "Security Laws". The same site also refers to the laws sanctioning the overriding of legal rights as being equally as vague.
With a system such as this one, there is no telling where the authorities would stop when interrogating a prisoner or investigating a particular "peaceful dissent", as the site puts it.
The answer could lie with those thousands who have, allegedly, been unfortunate and privy to the inner workings of Iran's penal system.
Whether or not mass Human Rights abuses in Iran were committed comes second when Iran is not allowing HR people to get into the country to investigate. I am a strong believer in the sovereignty of each country but I also believe in something higher like the United Nations. There should be organisms that are require to monitor the condition in the countries that are allegedly committing Human Rights abuses. I am not an expert in Iran but I can surely talk about Mexico. In the North American country there has been scores of Human Rights abuses towards the indigenous populations in the South of the country. This abuses have been done by the government, through the military and they repress and try to eradicate the way of life of the people.
Discussing topics such as these motivates the future generations (us) to be more open and transparent when it is our time to become leaders of our own families, communities or countries. There needs to be justice in this respect because these violations are inhuman and illegal and should not be allowed. A policy of sending the opposition away to other countries should be put in place by the Iranian government. The fear that this opposition will organize and come back is greater than the one they have for being caught committing this crimes.
There are still long ways to be walked by both countries and the United States isn't exactly the prettiest rose in the garden. This meaning that there might be unexplored ways of working between countries and Human Rights advocates.
It is really hard to know where to start after reading the Human Rights Watch report on the human rights abuses in Iran. First, I must say that all dissent in Iran is very courageous. To fight for any cause while knowing that you personally are at risk is very impressive.
Moreover, I would like to address some of aspects of the report that surprised me, or rather which astonished me. Firstly, I was surprised to learn that the women’s rights organizations were so well organized and play such an important part in the NGO-world in Iran (and are consequently severely harassed). Furthermore I would like to say that it is with incredulity I read what they protest for, which is the right to attend soccer games, and what they protest against; now I am talking about the Campaign to End Stoning Forever. Needless to say, being a women in Iran must be very, very hard.
I would also like to say that the arbitrariness with which demonstrators were treated, where they could sometimes gain permission, only to have it revoked just before the demonstrations were to take place. This must be an excellent way to tyrannize people, by not letting them know their rights, and change them from one day to the next.
I think there needs to be a distinction between Iran as a global actor and Iran as a provider of internal security. How the Iranian government reacts to issues internally will not necessarily shape their foreign policy, and should not (in theory) shape the United States' relationship with Iran. To play the comparison game, Saudi Arabia is much more oppressive towards women than Iran, and yet it is one of the United States' closest allies in the region. As it stands, the concept of human rights in the American political arena is only a political tool to single certain countries out and condemn them for certain abuses while ignoring the abuses of others because they are our allies. Until there is a shift from national security and economic security to human security, there will not be justification for attacking one country on violating the UN charter, etc. while ignoring violations when it is not in our strategic interest to do so.
After the revolution in 1979, Iran has been trough a lot of changes. However, the violation of human rights still dominates in all levels of Iranian society.
Even the parliamentary elections in Iran are still openly violated by the leading government. As it states in the article “Parliamentary Elections in Iran” candidates are unfairly withdrawn from the process of election. They are “disqualified” in different ways; Dr. Yazdi is accused of not having enough education, a former minister Sahabi being a member of forbidden party, in fact he is not a member of any party.
The expression of Freedom of Speech is violated in Iran as well. A lot of publishers and journalists are prosecuted for their attempts of writing the truth. It is slightly freer than before: however still remains limited.
The violation even touched many students who were activist in demonstrations in Iran in July 1999. They are not only expelled from the schools but even charged and sentenced to death (Akbar Mohammadi).
This list can go on and on but the violation of truth and freed of choice still in practice in Iranian Republic even today.
There is no question that the Human Rights situation in Iran is deplorable. I am especially ashamed of the execution of minors that has occurred too many times. However, when discussing these subjects one can not be too complex but one can definitely be too simple and this is what seems to occur all too often. Before we condemn Iran as a "savage" third world country with "barbaric" practices we must admit that Iran is not the only country that has been guilty of mistreating its citizens. Even our great country has done so and there definitely many countries practicing such infringement on their citizens. Of course these do not gain as much coverage as Iran; we thoroughly enjoy our ability to pick and choose who is on the axis of evil. Furthermore Iran is undergoing a transitional period. The growing "modern" youth is a deep contrast to the religious right that rules the country. Where this will lead Iran? One can only speculate, but every country deserves the chance to grow, uninterrupted, as did our country.
I agree with several of the above postings, notably athenesan's. Yes, Iran has a poor track record of human rights abuse. This is a terrible reason to threaten, sanction, or invade Iran. Many, many nations in the world have human rights records that are more egregious than Iran's. In Uzbekistan, HRW has reported occurrences of boiling humans to death (not going to find the report, but look it up if you'd like). More inhumane acts have occurred more frequently in different nations. Does this deserve the notice of the international community? Yes, naturally, but it would be extremely flawed to severely punish Iran when it's not anywhere close to the top of this ladder. Human rights is an extremely flawed international issue that has its merits, but is often ignored and it far too utopian. I don't believe that this issue should be removed from the international community's concern, as it is, after all, one of the pillars of the U.N. Nevertheless, it should be revisited.
It seems like the overwhelming response of the posts deals with the fact that human rights violations are committed in nearly every country, and it's difficult to have a conversation about them that takes into account different cultures and experiences without feeling like a cultural relativist. I don't doubt that a western portrayal of Iran, like the portrayal of afghan women after 9-11, is in part politically motivated, but the reports of torture seem to be irrefutable. Unfortunately there can be no unbiased opinion in this situation as far as national alliances and loyalties, and while amnesty international may come the closest, the UN is still primarily dominated by some of the worst perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and seems to lack the clout of enforcement without these groups' consent. While the reports make some valid suggestions as to how to deal with the infractions (like immediately closing suspect prisons if they don't meet human rights standards), others (maintaining that any information garnered through torture is "devoid of value") seem idealistic and rather naive. I found the juxtaposition of given freedoms with allowances in some of the articles of government not unlike the juxtaposition of the declaration of independence and bill of rights with the Homeland Security Act. Meant to protect the state as the main protective agency of the country, the laws leave a frightening amount of room for secretive, unmonitored torture. This doesn't seem to be much different from the United States' track record, and in both cases laws seem to exist that restrict freedoms in the name of national security, but to only have been exercised to their full capacity recently.
Human rights violations occur frequently in many countries. The United States has been proven guilty of many terrible inhumane acts. Iran is not the only country guilty of mistreating individuals. Even though this is common, it does not mean that we should allow in to continue, but many of us choice to turn our heads. Human rights officials need to find more effective ways in preventing such abuse, but I think the problem lies in people’s nativity in the matter. If we only knew what exactly goes on in our world, then we would be more active in putting a stop to horrific actions.
Human rights abuses is a global issue and the selection of Iran being singles out for violations is mainly for use as a political tool, there are far worse human rights violations going on at the present time both in asia specifically china and in Africa for example darfur and genocide. The fact that the single out example is the reatment of political dissidents is important because it hints towards the shadow of the cold war and soviet treatment of political dissidents. This issue has a certain salience with s audiences and what better way to make the case against a supposed enemy than to paint them as an evil empire, REAGAN anyone. This is not to deny the grave importance of speaking out against human rights abuses in Iran with respect to political dissidents women and other citizens, but to put them in a global context when compared to the abuses conducted by the united states in Guantanamo bay and other nations around the world they seem to blend into the background of the nastiness of human nature when corrupted by political power.
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