AFP: Iran came under fire Monday at the UN Human Rights Committee over its lack of respect for women’s rights as well as its failure to provide data on executions.
GENEVA, October 17, 2011 (AFP) – Iran came under fire Monday at the UN Human Rights Committee over its lack of respect for women’s rights as well as its failure to provide data on executions.
“I don’t see any concrete measures taken in Iran to end violence against women,” said Dutch expert Cornelis Flinterman, who condemned the failure of social services to come to the aid of women suffering from domestic violence.
“Are there cases that have been dealt in court? What are the verdicts? It seems that there continue to be discriminatory laws against women,” he added during an examination of measures taken by Tehran to advance civil and political rights.
French expert Christine Chanet meanwhile criticised Tehran over its failure to provide the number of people executed each year under the death penalty.
“What is the exact number of capital punishment carried out in Iran and executed… and for which offences were these punishments pronounced and executed? There is no way of finding an exhaustive list” in Tehran’s report, she said.
Chanet also deplored that the country imposed the death penalty on crimes which were not considered the most serious by international laws, pointing out according to sources, some were sentenced to death for being non-Muslims and homosexuals.
“A state does not have the right to life and death on people under its jurisdiction and the committee must realise… that the information is completely insufficient,” Chanet said.
Romanian expert Iulia Antoanella meanwhile took Tehran to task over the impunity given to security forces during its crackdown on protestors in 2009.
“An investigation must be carried out to show what happened after these events, what is the number of victims and who were guilty. We see that these people were given impunity,” she said.
The Iranian delegation is due to give its response to the allegations on Tuesday.
