HRC49: Oral statement during ID with Special Rapporteur on Iran

Item 4: Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you, Mr President.

CSW thanks the Special Rapporteur for his ongoing work and latest report.

We share his concern at the continued repression of religious minorities in Iran.

Many Christians are either facing or currently serving excessive prison sentences on unfounded charges relating to ‘national security,’ ‘extremism’ and ‘propaganda’.

The Baha’i community is still denied official recognition. With the Sufi Dervish community, Baha’is are consistently targeted with hate speech and discriminatory and repressive policies, including restrictions on access to education and burial sites.

We urge Iran to amend Article 13 of the Constitution to ensure all religious minorities are recognised and that all property seized from religious minority communities is returned.

CSW also calls on Iran to release all individuals who have been detained arbitrarily on account of their religion or belief or in relation to the defence of human rights.

We concur with the Special Rapporteur’s call to ensure the right to a fair trial for all individuals charged with a criminal offence. We urge Iran to ensure due process and judicial independence, and to cease equating peaceful adherence to minority faiths with national security threats.

Finally, CSW calls on Iran to cease the discrimination, harassment, and even persecution of religious minorities. We also urge Iran to ensure that Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party, is upheld in entirety, and is not contravened by national laws or practices that penalise apostasy or legislate against changing one’s belief.

Thank you.