Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

1989/66. Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Commission on Human Rights, Guided by the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfil the obligations they have undertaken under the various international instruments in this field, Recalling its pertinent resolutions, as well as those of the General Assembly and the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Recalling, in particular, its resolution 1988/69 of 10 March 1988, by which it decided to extend the mandate of the Special Representative for a further year and requested him to present an interim report to the Assembly at its forty-third session on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the situation of minority groups, such as the Bahà'ís, and a final report to the Commission at its forty-fifth session, Welcoming the cease-fire between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq as a positive development that should contribute to a situation in which human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully enjoyed, Taking note of the appreciation expressed by the Special Representative for the co-operation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and also of recent contacts between them, and expressing the hope that this co-operation on will reach the level of full co-operation in the near future, including visits by the Special Representative to the Islamic Republic of Iran, so that he can fulfil his mandate, as repeatedly requested by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Special Representative, Noting, nevertheless, that a detailed response to individual allegations brought to the attention of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Special Representative has yet to be received, Deeply concerned at continued reports of grave and persistent violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Noting that the situation of the Bahà'ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be uncertain,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Special Representative (E/CN.4/1989/26);

2. Urges once again the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to extend its full co-operation to the Special Representative and, in particular, to permit him to visit that country;

3. Calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to give immediate effect to its undertaking to provide detailed information concerning the allegations of human rights violations that have been brought to its attention;

4. Expresses once more its deep concern about the numerous and detailed allegations of grave human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran to which the Special Representative has referred in his reports, namely, those related to the right to life, the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to liberty and security of person, the right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression;

5. Expresses its grave concern at the reports of a wave of summary executions in the period from July to December 1988, as reported also by the Special Rapporteur on summary or arbitrary executions (E/CN.4/1989/25, paras. 142-148);

6. Endorses the Special Representative's concern about apparent flaws in the legal system, in particular, frequent irregularities regarding fair trial, the large number of arrests and poor conditions of imprisonment;

7. Expresses its deep concern at the numerous reports of ill-treatment and torture during investigation, trial and imprisonment;

8. Takes note of reports of an amnesty on 11 February 1989, but nevertheless expresses its deep concern at the existence of a number of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and at the allegations that persons may be gaoled on the basis of mere suspicion of misdoing or on account of adverse political opinions or political criticism;

9. Endorses the view of the Special Representative that the allegations he received cannot be dismissed on the ground of political bias, and notes that they were corroborated by the information provided by various sources;

10. Endorses the belief of the Special Representative that acts continue to occur in the Islamic Republic of Iran that are inconsistent with the international instruments on human rights by which that country is bound and that the human rights situation prevailing there justifies international concern and study and constant monitoring by the United Nations and its specialized organs, such as the Commission on Human Rights;

11. Urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a matter of urgency, to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and to report to the Special Representative in detail on the results of such investigations, to take legislative and administrative steps to ensure fair trial, to ensure that the prison régime conforms to international standards and that prisoners are not subjected to unjustified or unnecessary hardships, to suppress ill-treatment and torture during both investigation and imprisonment and to ensure that a firm policy of compliance with international instruments on human rights is adopted and enforced by the highest competent officials;

12. Urges the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to respect it and to ensure that all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction enjoy the rights recognized in that Covenant;

13. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Representative, as contained in its resolution 1984/54 of 14 March 1984, for a further year;

14. Requests the Special Representative to present an interim report to the General Assembly at its forty-fourth session on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the situation of minority groups, such as the Bahà'ís and a final report to the Commission at its forty-sixth session;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to give all necessary assistance to the Special Representative of the Commission;

16. Decides to continue its consideration of the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran as a matter of priority at its forty-sixth session.

55th meeting
8 March 1989
[Adopted by a roll-call vote of 20 to 6, with
12 abstentions. See chap. XII.]