MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation of human rights in Iran , particularly the case of Sattar Beheshti

20.11.2012 - (2012/2877(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure

Véronique De Keyser, María Muñiz De Urquiza, Ana Gomes, Josef Weidenholzer, Pino Arlacchi, Liisa Jaakonsaari on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0500/2012

B7‑0502/2012

European Parliament resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran , particularly the case of Sattar Beheshti

(2012/2877(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Iran, in particular those

concerning human rights

 

- having regard to the report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran of 11 October 2012

 

- having regard to its Rule 122 (5) of the Rules of Procedure,

 

 

A.  whereas the current human rights situation in Iran is characterized by an ongoing pattern of systematic violations of fundamental rights;

 

B.  whereas Sattar Beheshti, a 35 year old blogger, was arrested on October 30 and died in custody on November 6; whereas the authorities did not provide an explanation of his death to the members of his family;

 

C.  whereas there are allegations that during interrogations Beheshti was severely beaten and tortured, which led to his death;

 

D.  whereas members of the family of Sattar Beheshti in Iran had been threatened with arrest if they spoke to the media about his death, or filed a lawsuit against the alleged torture culprits;

 

E.  whereas after several days of silence on the death of Sattar Beheshti, the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Council has committed itself to reviewing all aspects of the case and strongly prosecuting all those found guilty;

 

F.  whereas the death of Sattar Beheshti is another tragic example of the systematic and ongoing torture, ill-treatment and denial of basic rights to which prisoners of conscience in Iran are routinely subjected while security and intelligence agents operate in an atmosphere of complete impunity;

 

G.  whereas on 22 October 2012 10 Iranian individuals were executed on charges of drug offences; whereas there are concerns that they did not receive a fair trial and were subjected to torture during their detention;

 

H.  whereas a dramaric increase in executions, including of juveniles, is recorded in Iran in recent years; whereas the death penalty is regularly used in cases where due process rights were denied to the accused and for crimes that do not meet the international standard for most serious crimes;

 

I.  whereas Iran is a party to the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights,

 

 

1. Strongly demands an immediate investigation of the circumstances of the death of Sattar Beheshti in custody and prosecution of the responsible officials; insists that the right of his family to clarify all circumstances of his death and bring lawsuits against the alleged culprits, must be fully respected and protected, free of intimidation by the authorities;

 

2. Condemns the execution on 22 October 2012 of 10 Iranian individuals on charges of drug offences and is concerned that they did not receive a fair trial and were subjected to torture during their detention;

3. Is deeply concerned by steady deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, and urges the Iranian authorities to halt the repression of bloggers and internet activists, among other dissidents;

4. Calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that Iranian citizens enjoy full respect and protection of the rights granted to them in the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran has subscribed;

5. Calls on Iran’s judiciary and prison authorities to end mistreatment of the prominent human rights lawyer and the Sakharov prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh; calls on Iran’s authorities to allow all prisoners access to necessary medical care and family visits to which they are entitled under international human rights law.

6. Calls on the Commission, in close cooperation with the European Parliament, to make effective use of the new Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in order to support democracy and respect for human rights in Iran

 

7. Strongly condemns the use of the death penalty in Iran and calls on the Iranian authorities, in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolutions 62/149 and 63/138, to institute a moratorium on executions, pending the abolition of the death penalty; urges the Government to prohibit the execution of juveniles and consider commuting all capital sentences for juveniles currently facing a death sentence; urges the Iranian Government to publicize statistics on the death penalty and facts around the administration of justice in death penalty cases;

 

8. Reaffirms its readiness to engage in human rights dialogue with Iran at all levels on the basis of universal values as enshrined in the UN Charter and Conventions;

 

9. Calls on international donors to anti-trafficking programs in Iran via the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to audit all funding and program activities for drug control to ensure that no funding contributes directly or indirectly to increased arrests of drug offenders; takes the view that the freezing of the funding of programs which lead to the arrest of alleged drug offenders should be considered until Iran takes steps to assure that its drug enforcement practices meet international standards, namely by granting fair trials and by abolishing the death penalty for drug-related offences; demands that international donors implement guidelines issued by UNODC that are rooted in international human rights standards for financial, technical and other assistance provided for drug enforcement programming in Iran;

 

10. Is concerned about the significant negative effects of wide-reaching economic sanctions against Iran on the social and economic rights of Iranian people, including an escalation in inflation, a rise in commodities and energy costs, and a shortage of necessary items, including medicine;

 

11. Urges EU policymakers to design, co-ordinate and implement policies to enable the free flow of information to and from countries such as Iran, and to help Iran's civil society to circumvent the dizzying maze of surveillance, filtering and jamming roadblocks set up by the government;

 

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the EEAS, the Council, the Commission and the UN Human Rights Council.