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Report slams Iran rights abuses
Monday, 7 June, 2004, 10:44 GMT 11:44 UK By Jim Muir BBC correspondent in Tehran The human rights situation in Iran is worse now than at any time since reformist Mohammad Khatami became president in 1997, a report says. What a stunning development! The international monitoring group Human Rights Watch accuses Iranâs judiciary of abandoning its duty to administer justice fairly. Instead, it is ordering the torture of detainees, the report says. It says many of the abuses take place in illegal detention centres run by "parallel security bodies". Yet not a speck of outrage to be seen on the Arab street regarding brutal prison torture by heavy-handed interrogators. EU criticised The European Unionâs dialogue with Iran on human rights issues has failed to produce any tangible results, Human Rights Watch says, urging the EU to exert more pressure on Tehran. The EUâs dialogue with Iran resumes in Tehran next week. The EU "has failed to produce any tangible results?" Iâm shocked, SHOCKED!, I tell you. The report highlights the widespread use of indefinite periods of solitary confinement as a method used to break the will of detainees. A recent report by Amnesty International was less scathing about the EU-Iran dialogue, but it too spoke of ongoing flagrant violations of Iranian and international law in the human rights arena. It blamed the deadlock between Iranian reformists and hardliners for holding up progress. But since the victory of the conservatives in controversial general elections in February, there have been signs of progress, at least superficially. Most definitely. As Iranâs main trading partner major progress has been made in turning a completely blind-f&%king-eye to Iranâs human rights abuses and continuing nuclear threat. A law banning the use of torture has been approved and the judiciary chief has circulated instructions that proper Posted by: Zenster 2004-06-07 |
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