Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Statement by Ireland
13 March 2017
Ireland aligns with the EU statement and adds the following.
Mr. President,
Ireland welcomes the Special Rapporteur and thanks her for her report and presentation to the Council today.
Ireland is extremely concerned at the continued use of the death penalty in Iran, in particular for juvenile offenders. We call on the Iranian Government to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, and further to guarantee that no individual under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crime is sentenced to death, in line with Iran’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran continues to be of grave concern. We note in particular the information in the report regarding legally sanctioned “systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting” of the Baha’i. We call on Iran to release those Baha’i imprisoned on the basis of their faith, and to cease persecuting members of the Baha’i community as well as members of other minorities such as Iranian Christians, Sufis and Kurds.
Ireland is also concerned at Iran’s lack of progress in the areas of women’s rights, and at the continued restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion, access to information, freedom of association and assembly, and human rights defenders.
We recall that this mandate is up for renewal at this session of the Council. We are of the view that renewal is fully justified by the continued situation in Iran and look forward to adoption by the Council of a resolution to do so. In that regard we note Iran’s engagement with the Special Rapporteur to date. We encourage the Iranian Government to fully cooperate with her going forward.
Ireland would like to ask the Special Rapporteur for further information on her experience to date in obtaining the cooperation of the authorities in her work and what concrete steps should be taken to promote the rights of human rights defenders in Iran?
