IRAN VISUAL NEWS CORPS: Washington—The United States today criticized Iran for what it said was a worsening human rights record, accusing Tehran of “severely” restricting civil liberties, freedom of religion and workers rights.
In its annual examination of human rights in more than 190 countries during 2008, the State Department also noted a crackdown on freedom of speech and of the press in the Islamic Republic.
“The government’s poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses,” the report stated. “The government severely limited citizens’ right to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections. The government executed numerous persons for criminal convictions as juveniles and after unfair trials.”
According to the report, violence and discrimination against women, ethnic and religious minorities, and homosexuals continued to remain problems in Iran, as did human trafficking and incitement to anti-Semitism.
In addition to holding political prisoners and cracking down on supporters of women’s right, the Iranian government “severely restricted civil liberties, including freedoms of speech, expression, assembly, association.”
The report also noted numerous credible reports of prisoners being tortured or exposed to other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.
“There were numerous reports of arbitrary and false arrests during the year,” the report said, highlighting the arrests of seven members of the Baha’i national leadership body in March and May, as well as the detention of brothers Arash and Kamiar Alaei, two renowned AIDS researchers.
The State Department said Iranian authorities arrested, tried and even executed individuals “on questionable criminal charges, including drug trafficking, when their actual ‘offenses’ were political.”
“The government charged members of religious minorities with crimes, such as ‘confronting the regime’ and apostasy, and conducted trials in these cases in the same manner as it would treat threats to national security,” the report stated.
The U.S. also condemned Iran for what it called “officially sanctioned discrimination” against all religious minorities, particularly in employment, education and housing. >>> ©Iran VNC 2009 | Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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