Amnesty urges elected Iranian president to tackle problems

Dubai: Amnesty International urged the elected Iranian president in tomorrow's election to tackle severe curtailments of freedom of expression, arbitrary arrests, torture, unfair trials and a high recourse of the death penalty including juvenile offenders and enhance the country respect for basic human rights.

Nicole Choueiry, Middle East and North Africa Press officer of Amnesty International said the organization welcomes pledges by some of the candidates to address the prevailing discrimination against women in the country and the rights of ethnic minorities and improvement of the welfare of the population, but other serious issues of human rights must also be addressed to improve Iran's human rights record.

She said at least 194 people have been executed so far this year in Iran, including five women and three juveniles convicted of crimes allegedly committed before they were 18 and there are over than 140 juveniles known to be on death row in Iran, a practice that is strictly prohibited under international law.

Choueiry said the organization is aware of one person who has been stoned to death this year in Iran, despite a 2002 directive from the Head of the Judiciary ordering a moratorium on stoning penalties.

“Amnesty International is aware of seven women and three men currently under sentence of death by stoning,'' she said.

She told Gulf News that the election period has also seen increased repression, both of people expressing their opinions directly about the elections an those seen to be opposed to the system in some way, including students, women's rights activists, lawyers and unrecognized religious minorities, such as the Baha'is and the Ahl-e Haq.

“In the pre-election period, Amnesty International has received reports suggesting increased waves of arbitrary arrests and harassment targeting in particular members of Iran's religious and ethnic minority communities, including Baha'is and converts from Islam, students, trade unionists and women's rights activists,'' she said.

By imprisoning people for merely expressing dissenting views, Choueiry said the Iranian authorities are stifling the free debate which is a pre-requisite of elections. Citizens should be able to freely express their grievances and their demands so that candidates can address them.