EU: Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU on Human Rights in Iran

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU on Human Rights in Iran on the occasion of the 33rd Anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The EU, while commending the positive developments achieved by the Iranian people in the social, educational and cultural spheres, wishes to express its concern regarding the violations by the Islamic Republic of Iran of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which it has signed and ratified.

Amongst these violations are the arbitrary arrests, harassment and other repressive measures against a number of the women rights activists of the “One million signatures” petition and the Maydaan movement. The European Union strongly condemns this harassment and calls on the Iranian authorities to release the imprisoned Alieh Aghdam-Doust and Ronak Safarzadeh and to drop charges against Nafiseh Asad for their participation in a peaceful campaign for gender equality.

The European Union has witnessed a worrying trend of the increasing constraints on Iranian citizens’ freedom of expression and association. Human rights defenders, journalists, students, trade unionists and others peacefully expressing their views or opinions are often charged under the vague auspices of public security. In some cases they are denied access to legal representation and those defending them, like the Defenders of Human Rights Center, are obstructed in their legitimate activity.

In this respect, the European Union urgently calls on Iran to revoke the sentences against two HIV specialists, brothers Arash and Kamiar Alaei, sentenced to prison for six and three years respectively. The European Union also urges the Iranian authorities to allow reopening of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and reverse prison sentences and legal charges against a number (ten) of journalist and bloggers, whose names have been communicated earlier by the EU to the Iranian authorities.

The European Union further calls on the Iranian authorities to drop legal charges against number of students from Shiraz University, of which at least eighteen have been additionally banned from continuing their education following their participation in the peaceful gathering on National Student Day. The European Union further calls for the full benefit of the right to liberty of movement, including the right to leave the country, in particular for Mr Said Razzavi-Faqih, a former student activist who has been sentenced in absentia for his peaceful activities and whose passport has been seized by the Iranian authorities.

The EU remains ready to engage in constructive co-operation in all fields, including the Human rights dialogue, and calls on Iran to comply with its international commitments, among others under the ICCPR, whose 33rd anniversary of entry into force is commemorated this Monday.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Montenegro and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.