Notable issues concerning human rights Human rights in Iran

1 notable issues concerning human rights

1.1 extrajudicial killings
1.2 capital punishment
1.3 political freedom
1.4 lgbt issues
1.5 gender inequality
1.6 religious freedom

1.6.1 bahá í issues
1.6.2 jewish issues
1.6.3 non-government muslim shia issues
1.6.4 darvish issues
1.6.5 irreligious people


1.7 ethnic minorities

notable issues concerning human rights
extrajudicial killings

in 1990s there number of unsolved murders , disappearances of intellectuals , political activists had been critical of islamic republic system in way. in 1998 these complaints came head killing of 3 dissident writers (mohammad jafar pouyandeh, mohammad mokhtari, majid sharif), political leader (dariush forouhar) , wife in span of 2 months, in became known chain murders or 1998 serial murders of iran. of iranians had been critical of islamic republic system in way. altogether more 80 writers, translators, poets, political activists, , ordinary citizens thought have been killed on course of several years. deputy security official of ministry of information, saeed emami arrested killings , later committed suicide, many believe higher level officials responsible killings. according iranterror.com, assumed [emami] murdered in order prevent leak of sensitive information ministry of intelligence , security operations, have compromised entire leadership of islamic republic.

the attempted murder , serious crippling of saeed hajjarian, ministry of intelligence operative-turned-journalist , reformer, believed in retaliation in uncovering chain murders of iran , iranian reform movement in general. hajjarian shot in head saeed asgar, member of basij in march 2000.

at international level, german court ordered arrest of standing minister of islamic republic – minister of intelligence ali fallahian – in 1997 directing 1992 murder of 3 iranian-kurdish dissidents , translator @ berlin restaurant, known mykonos restaurant assassinations.

two minority religious figures killed during era protestant christians reverend mehdi dibaj, , bishop haik hovsepian mehr. on 16 january 1994, rev. mehdi, convert christianity released prison after more ten years of confinement, apparently result of international pressure. 6 months later disappeared after leaving christian conference in karaj , body found 5 july 1994 in forest west of tehran. 6 months earlier man responsible leading campaign free him, bishop haik hovsepian mehr, had met similar end, disappearing on 19 january 1994. body found in street in shahr-e rey, tehran suburb.

capital punishment

iran retains death penalty large number of offenses, among them cursing prophet, drug offenses, murder, , hadd crimes, including adultery, incest, rape, fornication, drinking alcohol, “sodomy”, same-sex sexual conduct between men without penetration, lesbianism, “being @ enmity god” (mohareb), , “corruption on earth” (mofsed-e-filarz).

although signatory international convention on civil , political rights (iccpr) , convention on rights of child (crc), states [the] sentence of death shall not imposed crimes committed persons below eighteen years of age.”, iran continues execute minors various offenses.

executions in iran more common in other middle eastern state, surpassing iran s nearest rival—saudi arabia—by order of magnitude, although iran s population on twice large saudi arabia s.

political freedom

the islamic government has not hesitated crush peaceful political demonstrations. iran student riots, july 1999 sparked attack estimated 400 paramilitary hezbollah vigilantes on student dormitory in retaliation small, peaceful student demonstration against closure of reformist newspaper, salam earlier day. @ least 20 people hospitalized , hundreds arrested, in attack.

on 8 march 2004, parallel institution of basij issued violent crackdown on activists celebrating international women s day in tehran.

lgbt issues

homosexual acts , adultery criminal , punishable life imprisonment or death after multiple offenses, , same sentences apply convictions treason , apostasy. accused state of homosexual acts routinely flogged , threatened execution. iran 1 of 7 countries in world apply death penalty homosexual acts; of them justify punishment islamic law. judiciary not recognize concept of sexual orientation, , legal standpoint there no homosexuals or bisexuals, persons committing homosexual acts.

for years after iranian revolution, transgender people classified judiciary being homosexual , subject same laws. however, in mid-1980s, judiciary began changing policy , classifying transgender individuals distinct group, separate homosexuals, granting them legal rights. gender dysphoria officially recognized in iran today, , judiciary permits sexual reassignment surgery can afford it. in 1960s, ayatollah khomeini had issued ruling permitting gender reassignment, has since been reconfirmed ayatollah khamenei. currently, iran has between 15,000 , 20,000 transsexuals, according official statistics, although unofficial estimates put figure @ 150,000. iran carries out more gender change operations country in world besides thailand. sex changes have been legal since late ayatollah ruhollah khomeini, spiritual leader of 1979 islamic revolution, passed fatwa authorising them 25 years ago. whereas homosexuality considered sin, transsexuality categorized illness subject cure. while government seeks keep approval quiet, state support has increased since ahmadinejad took office in 2005. government has begun providing grants of £2,250 operations , further funding hormone therapy. proposing loans of £2,750 allow undergoing surgery start own businesses.

gender inequality

unequal value women s testimony compared of man, , traditional attitudes towards women s behavior , clothing way of explaining rape have made conviction rape of women difficult if not impossible in iran. 1 criticized case of atefah sahaaleh, executed state inappropriate sexual relations , despite evidence rape victim.

differences in blood money men , women include victims , offenders. in 2003, parents of leila fathi, 11-year-old village girl sarghez raped , murdered, asked come equivalent of thousands of dollars pay blood money (diyya) execution of daughter s killers because woman s life worth half of man s life.

religious freedom


bahá í issues


mona mahmudnizhad, executed @ age of 17 in shiraz in 1983, along 9 other bahá’í women

amnesty international , others report 202 bahá’ís have been killed since islamic revolution, many more imprisoned, expelled schools , workplaces, denied various benefits or denied registration marriages. iranian bahá ís have regularly had homes ransacked or been banned attending university or holding government jobs, , several hundred have received prison sentences religious beliefs, participating in study circles. bahá í cemeteries have been desecrated , property seized , demolished, including house of mírzá buzurg, bahá u lláh s father. house of báb in shiraz has been destroyed twice, , 1 of 3 sites bahá ís perform pilgrimage.

the islamic republic has stated arrested baha being detained security issues , members of organized establishment linked foreigners, zionists in particular. bani dugal, principal representative of baha international community united nations, replies best proof bahais being persecuted faith, not anti-iranian activity fact that, time , again, baha have been offered freedom if recant baha beliefs , convert islam ...

jewish issues

jews have lived in iran 3,000 years , iran host largest jewish community in middle east outside of israel. estimated 25,000 jews remain in country, although approximately 75% of iran s jewish population has emigrated during , since islamic revolution of 1979 , iran-iraq war in days after islamic revolution in 1979, several jews executed on charges of zionism , relations israel. jews in iran have constitutional rights equal other iranians, although may not hold government jobs or become army officers. have freedom follow religion, not granted freedom proselytize. despite small numbers, jews allotted 1 representative in parliament.

iran s official government-controlled media published protocols of elders of zion in 1994 , 1999. jewish children still attend jewish schools hebrew , religious studies taught, jewish principals have been replaced muslim ones, curricula government-supervised, , jewish sabbath no longer recognized. according jewish journalist roger cohen:

perhaps have bias toward facts on words, reality of iranian civility toward jews tells more iran – sophistication , culture – inflammatory rhetoric. may because m jew , have seldom been treated such consistent warmth in iran.

cohen s depiction of jewish life in iran sparked criticism columnists , activists such jeffrey goldberg of atlantic monthly , rafael medoff, director of david s. wyman institute holocaust studies. in jerusalem post op-ed, medoff criticized cohen being misled existence of synagogues , further argued iranian jews captives of regime, , whatever calibrated not trouble. american jewish committee criticized cohen s articles. dr. eran lerman, director of group s middle east directory, argued cohen’s need argue away unpleasant reality gives rise systematic denial . cohen responded on 2 march, defending observations , further elaborating iran’s islamic republic no third reich redux. nor totalitarian state. stated life more difficult them [the jews] muslims, suggest [jews] inhabit totalitarian hell self-serving nonsense.

privately, many jews complain foreign reporters of discrimination, of of social or bureaucratic nature. islamic government appoints officials run jewish schools, of these being muslims , requires schools must open on saturdays, jewish sabbath. (this has apparently been changed of february 4, 2015.) criticism of policy downfall of last remaining newspaper of iranian jewish community closed in 1991 after criticized government control of jewish schools. instead of expelling jews en masse in libya, iraq, egypt, , yemen, iranians have adopted policy of keeping jews in iran.

non-government muslim shia issues

muslim clerical opponents of islamic republic s political system have not been spared imprisonment. according analyst quoted iran press service, hundreds of clerics have been arrested, defrocked, other left ranks of religion on own, of them, including popular political or intellectual figures such hojjatoleslam abdollah noori, former interior minister or hojjatoleslam yousefi eshkevari, intellectual, or hojjatoleslam mohsen kadivar , middle rank clerics.

darvish issues

iran s darvish persecuted minority. late 1900s, wandering darvish common sight in iran. fewer in number , suffer official opposition sufi religion.

irreligious people

according official iranian census of 2006, there 205,317 irreligious people in iran, including atheists, agnostics, , sceptics. according iranian constitution, irreligious person can t become president of iran.

ethnic minorities

iran signatory convention elimination of racism. unhcr found several positive aspects in conduct of islamic republic regards ethnic minorities, positively citing agreement absorb afghan refugees , participation mixed ethnicities. however, committee while acknowledging teaching of minority languages , literature in schools permitted, requested iran include more information in next periodic report concerning measures has adopted enable persons belonging minorities have adequate opportunities learn mother tongue , have used medium of instruction.