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Iran Lashes Out After NGO Cites Abuses in U.N. Rights Council
Geneva, September 16, 2009 — The government of Iran slammed a Geneva human rights organization after it testified before a UN panel about Iran's "fraudulent elections in June, brutal arrest of peaceful protesters, murder of Neda and other innocents, and rape of female and male detainees."Following UN Watch’s speech today before the UN Human Rights Council exposing Iran’s abuses, the Ahmadinejad government fired back, accusing the rights group of “unsubstantiated allegations” and lacking “accuracy and decency.” See UN Watch statement, delivered by Iranian human rights defender Nazanin Afshin-Jam, and Iran’s reply below.
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UN Watch Statement
UN Human Rights Council, 12th Regular Session
Item 2: Update of High Commissioner for Human Rights
Delivered by Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Thank you, Mr. President.
Madam High Commissioner, thank you for calling attention to victims of torture. My father was tortured, by a vicious regime. I know what it means.
Thank you for spotlighting discrimination in Tibet; the violation of women’s rights in Sudan; and the shooting of human rights defenders in Russia.
Thank you also for putting a spotlight on the Islamic Republic of Iran: its fraudulent elections in June, brutal arrest of peaceful protesters, murder of Neda and other innocents, and rape of female and male detainees. Detailed evidence of these horrific crimes was released this week by opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi.
This is the government that tortured my father. And sitting next to me is Ahmad Batebi. They tortured him for 9 years, for attending a student protest.
This is the government that has at least 160 juveniles on death row, in violation of Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The evidence is documented in this new report by Stop Child Executions, entitled “From Cradle to Coffin: A Report on Child Executions in Iran.”
Madam High Commissioner, you spoke of human rights, courage and political will.
Mr. Batebi and I here today to present this appeal by 50 Iranian human rights defenders.
We urge you to call for an immediate Special Session of this Council, to investigate Iran’s gross violation of all basic human rights, and to take action to protect the victims.
After June, the world knows: President Ahmadinejad does not represent the people of Iran. The people of Iran want freedom, democracy, and human rights. The abuses are getting worse and worse by the day. There’s no time to spare. Please, we need your help.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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IRAN — Right of Reply
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Read further here: http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1316871&ct=7496321
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