Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 14 June 2012 - Strasbourg

16.3. Situation of ethnic minorities in Iran (debate)

  President. – The next item is the debate on seven⁽¹⁾ motions for resolutions on the situation of ethnic minorities in Iran (2012/2682(RSP)).

  Jaroslav Paška, author. – (SK) Mr President, the political leaders of Iran have long had a problem respecting internationally recognised human rights. Ethnic minorities also pay a price for the country’s policy of radical Islam, exercised by the State. Our appeal to the Iranian authorities to respect the right of ethnic minorities to use their own language when communicating in private and in public, to allow minorities freedom of religion, and to end the discrimination and persecution of minorities and the application of the death penalty for converts from Islam, is very important. It is therefore important that, although the arrogant Iranian administration is not making any changes today, it knows that Europe is watching it and that the whole world is watching it, and that it will know that it will be held accountable for its arrogant minority policy in the future.

  Rui Tavares, author. – (PT) Mr President, the subject of this debate, namely the situation of ethnic minorities in Iran, is indeed worrying and serious. Still worse, it is deteriorating, along with an already very complicated political situation within the country, which is affecting even the majority – let us call them Persian Iranians – who are seeing their rights violated and despoiled, as in the case of the elections, where was tampering with the results.

Unfortunately the situation is much worse for ethnic minorities. Uprisings involving ethnic minorities have resulted in large-scale arrests, and prisoners from ethnic minorities are treated worse than those from the majority group within the Iranian population. The justice system is completely distorted to the disadvantage of ethnic minorities. Women from ethnic minorities are treated even worse than women in general in Iran, and schools in ethnic-minority areas are of much lower quality than Iranian schools in general.

This situation is therefore extremely worrying. In addition to this, there is of course the continued, and indeed increased, use of the death penalty in Iran. People may be persecuted and executed for crimes of sexual orientation, including young people.

We therefore call on the Iranian Government to put a clear stop to these practices and change the treatment meted out to ethnic minorities. However, to be honest, I would say that we do so with little hope that the Iranian Government will listen to us. It is also important that the Iranian Government think about what it is doing, and consider the bitter seeds that it is sowing with these practices. It is rending apart the ethnic, social and cultural fabric of Iran and sowing the seeds of its own future disaster, as the people of Iran will rise up. We can only hope that, at that time, the various ethnic minorities and the Iranian majority population will be able to unite and succeed in one day bringing down this government.

  Véronique De Keyser, author. – (FR) Mr President, Persians only form half the Iranian population. The other half is made up of different ethnic groups.

In August 2010, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination addressed the exclusion of these minorities, of which there are many. All the same, I will run through them for you: mainly, there are the Arabs, the Azeris, the Turks, the Balochs, the Kurds and the Turkmen. Our resolution essentially deals with a small group of Arab Ahwazis, and this group therefore represents a tiny part of the huge problem of ethnic minorities in Iran.

The group concerned is called the ‘April 15 Youth Movement’ and dates from 2005. It holds demonstrations in April each year. In 2011, it seems that these demonstrations resulted in 15 deaths and a number of people being wounded. This had been reported on Facebook and Twitter. This year, another person died and several were wounded, and those mentioned in the resolution – mainly six Ahwazis – were imprisoned.

I should say: ‘were imprisoned and ought to be tried’. Information is very difficult to gather on these cases because it is circulating on social networks but, despite everything, I think that the fact of naming them in point 3 and of saying that they must have a fair trial is a very important step.

  Marietje Schaake, author. − Mr President, it is safe to say that all Iranians are repressed and live in a culture of state-inflicted violence every day. This sad reality of the Islamic Republic must not be overshadowed by the negotiations on the nuclear issue, a new round of which starts early next week. In fact, for those who believe that change in Iran must and will come from the Iranian people themselves, human rights are a strategic issue and can never be traded in a zero-sum game in relation to the nuclear programme.

This House highlights the situation of ethnic minorities specifically today. Minorities in Iran continue to be discriminated against and harassed. Peaceful demonstrators are imprisoned after trials which do not meet any international standards, and the treatment of prisoners in Iran is well known across the world for its harshness. Torture, rape and executions are common practices, which we continue to condemn on the basis of our belief in the universality of human rights. More importantly, however, we urge the Iranian authorities to stick to their own commitments, as stated in their constitution.

Non-Persian women face double discrimination, as members of marginalised communities and as women in Iran facing laws which specifically limit their rights. We urge the Iranian authorities to free all activists who are currently imprisoned for their peaceful advocacy of minority rights and to respect the right of ethnic minorities to use their languages, in private or public, and in particular to guarantee education in these languages in accordance with the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

  Eija-Riitta Korhola, author. − (FI) Mr President, two years have now passed since the Iranian primary school teacher, Farzad Kamangar, was murdered because he was a Kurd. A few months ago, Riaz Sobhani, a member of the Baha’i minority, was sentenced to four years in prison, because he has peacefully supported the Baha’i University in Iran.

Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh, who converted to Christianity, were arrested in 2009. They were charged with apostasy and proselytising a false religion.

Although apostasy is not a crime under Iranian law, judges can interpret Islamic law fairly freely. This has even resulted in death sentences. The Iranian authorities frequently say that minorities in the country have full rights. In fact, there are three recognised minorities in Iran: the Jews, the Christians and the Zarathustrians, but, for example, Arabs, Kurds, Muslim minorities, Azeris, Baluchis, Sufis, and so on, are not mentioned. The three recognised minorities have five seats in a Parliament of 190 Members, and they may practise their religious rituals. The government needs to understand that multiculturalism is a source of wealth and should be cultivated.

  Marie-Christine Vergiat, author. – (FR) Mr President, a few days ago the Iranian Kurds commemorated the second anniversary of the death of Farzad Kamanga, a young teacher aged 31, who was hanged after four years’ imprisonment and torture. His crime: being an enemy of God.

A few days ago, the trial also took place of six Arab Ahwazis. Ms De Keyser spoke about them. They were accused of being hostile to God. Their crime: defending the rights of the minority to which they belong and commemorating the murders that had taken place against this minority during earlier demonstrations.

The same goes for all the minorities in this country: Baha’is, Azeris, Balochs and all the others.

It is not a good idea to belong to a cultural or religious minority in Iran. It is not a good idea to be a woman in Iran. It is not a good idea to live in Iran, where the number of executions seems to be gathering pace while also affecting an increasing number of juveniles.

We are therefore increasing the number of resolutions. To what end? Doubtless to salve our conscience until the next time. We all know here that the Iranian authorities do not give a damn, if you will pardon the expression.

There are, however, so many other matters that we could more usefully have spoken about, such as, for example, the sentencing in Turkey to 10 years in prison of Leyla Zana, and yet she had been awarded the Sakharov Prize.

  Janusz Wojciechowski, author. − (PL) Mr President, it is regrettable that Iran – a country with such ancient traditions, such a long history, such a fine culture and such a great and important country – is today ruled by those who do not respect fundamental rights, whose nuclear ambitions are a source of tension in the international community and who most importantly oppress their own citizens. There have been many instances of persecution in the country, for example of Christians, but also of national minorities.

It goes without saying that we should respond to these events, although there is not a great deal that we can do. The Iranian authorities are very resistant to any criticism, but that does not mean that we should stop criticising them. The European Parliament should send out a clear message that we do not agree to such actions and that we condemn them. We should also support measures by the Iranian opposition, which is very active in Europe, and whose activities have also been visible at the European Parliament, and this is the right way to put pressure on the Iranian authorities.

  Bernd Posselt, on behalf of the PPE Group. – (DE) Mr President, Iran is often regarded monolithically as a Shiite entity. Iran is in fact a multi-ethnic state with a multi-religious regime. It has Christian minorities that are in relatively good standing, for example part of the Christian Armenian community. Others, such as Assyrian or Aramaic Christians, are subject to significant persecution. Non-Shia Muslims are suffering, particularly the Baha’i.

That is why it is our task to consider Iran in all its complexities and to ensure that the religious minorities there are protected and supported. Unlike one of the previous speakers, I certainly believe that it makes sense to take a regular interest in Iran. We have also always done this with the apparently monolithic Eastern Bloc. We now have a free Central and Eastern Europe. Equally, one day we shall have a free Iran of many ethnic groups and religious communities that live side-by-side in peace with the old Iranian tradition and who are our partners.

  Kristiina Ojuland, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, the violations of the rights of minorities in Iran come by no means as a surprise, as the devastating human rights situation in the country has been reported and debated in this Parliament a number of times.

We are calling upon the authorities to eliminate all forms of discrimination and urging them to allow freedom of association and religion, while freeing all peaceful minority activists from prison. Unfortunately, we already know that our resolution will be disregarded, just as others have been for a number of years.

Instead, I would encourage the EU to engage in dialogue and cooperation with opposition groups in Iran and abroad, and help them in their work towards overthrowing the current fundamentalist regime. The change in Iran will probably come from within the country, but we should use the opportunity of empowering democratically-minded Iranians to speed up the process.

  Marek Józef Gróbarczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group. – (PL) Mr President, violence and human rights violations have become the political raison d’être of the rulers of Iran. It is the country’s Christians, having suffered persecution for many years, who feel the full force of their hatred, and who on more than one occasion have died for their faith. It is not easy to be a Catholic in Iran, since the risk of death is ever present. The European Union has its roots in Christianity, and it therefore has an obligation to defend these people and should forcefully condemn the situation in Iran. The right to freedom of religion is one of the fundamental human rights. Events in Iran cannot be tolerated on any grounds, whether economic or political. I would therefore call on the Commission to take all possible measures to protect Christians in Iran.

  Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris (PPE). (IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s judicial system has sentenced 600 Iranian citizens to a total of 300 years of deprivation of their social rights. Representatives of minority religions in Iran have received sentences that amount to a total of 4 000 months in prison. In Iran those who seek to obtain data on minorities face many obstacles because this Islamic Republic does not allow activists and human rights defenders to collect information on violations of basic rights and also forbids the free flow of information.

However, even taking account of these difficulties and obstacles it is possible to see some trends. In particular, the regime can be seen to be intensifying its pressure on religious minorities, particularly – and I want to stress particularly – on Christians – I do not know why we are afraid to say it or write it in our resolutions – and more generally on all forms of religion that depart from Shia Islam. Those who belong to religious minorities are seen as second-class citizens and sometimes considered outside the law.

Catch-the-eye procedure

  Bogusław Sonik (PPE). - (PL) Mr President, for many years now we have observed repeated violations of fundamental rights in Iran, as well as discrimination against minorities on the basis of their religious beliefs, ethnic origin or other social and economic grounds. This means that the country is violating the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Bill of Rights. Arrests of demonstrators calling for respect for civil liberties are particularly concerning. Iran is also one of the world’s leading users of the death penalty. There is therefore a constant threat hanging over the lives of many people who have not committed any crime by international standards. The Sunni and Kurdish minorities face a difficult situation since they are accused of spying and harming the state. They suffer harassment and live in constant terror of arrest and execution. The international community should raise the alarm about Iran’s failure to respect these rights, and encourage the Iranian authorities to amend the constitution and the legal code to ensure that the rights of minorities are protected.

I am not sure whether it is a good idea for Parliament to have twice postponed its delegation’s visit to Iran; we should probably keep up contact.

  Corina Creţu (S&D). – (RO) Mr President, I too think we must send a strong message to the Iranian authorities on the need to cancel at once the death sentence pronounced against certain members of the Ahwazi Arab minority, who stand the risk of being publicly executed at any time. Iran must respect the right of these people to a fair trial, legal assistance and having their families notified of their fate.

I also believe in the need for an imperative request to end torture in detention centres and conduct objective investigations of the abuses committed so far. Last but not least, we urge the Iranian authorities to abolish capital punishment and repeal the discriminatory rules aimed at ethnic and religious minorities, and I believe there is a need for greater cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations.

  Oldřich Vlasák (ECR). – (CS) Mr President, in the debate on minority rights in Iran we must also mention the rights of Iranians in the Iraqi refugee camp of Ashraf, 80 km from the border with Iran, where more than 3 000 people live in stressful conditions without any proper hygiene facilities and under constant pressure and threats. We must call on EU High Representative and Commission Vice-President Ashton to try to resolve this urgent situation.

  Sidonia Elżbieta Jędrzejewska (PPE). - (PL) Mr President, the extremely difficult situation faced by minorities in Iran is closely linked to the lack of religious freedom in the country. The previous speakers have spoken in detail about instances where ethnic and religious minorities, in particular Christians, have been discriminated against and persecuted. On a personal level, however, I would like to emphasise that I find it particularly distressing to hear reports of the death penalty being enforced against individuals who have changed faith. These executions are a fundamental and brutal violation of the right to freedom of religion, and they should not happen.

  Peter Skinner (S&D). - Mr President, Véronique de Keyser was right when she said that Iran is not a mono-cultural society although it is obviously an Islamic Republic. I can say though that, as all the other speakers have said, it is very dangerous to be a member of an ethnic minority or a religious minority in Iran. I can support this motion, therefore, which promotes the universality of human rights in Iran and across all the ethnic minorities and religious groups.

The number of groups, as speakers have said, are many – those that we know of that can be easily identified by size or religious identity. However, converts from certain religions to other religions also face, potentially, a very uncertain future and may be bigger than some of the ethnic minorities that we know about in Iran. So, like others in the room, I would like to see the broadest capture of ethnic minorities so that the communities like the Assyrian Christians and others can be added and included in our statement.

(End of the catch-the-eye procedure)

  John Dalli, Member of the Commission. − Mr President, as has been said, Iran is a mosaic of ethnicities, with ethnic minorities accounting for up to at least 40 % of the country’s population. The main ethno-linguistic minority groups are Azeris, Kurds, Balochs, Arabs, Turkmens, Pashtuns, Armenians, Georgians, Assyrians and Jews. They are largely located in the periphery and far from the power base, Tehran.

Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, persons belonging to minorities are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices. These include land and property confiscations, denial of state and para-statal employment, and restrictions on social, cultural, linguistic and religious freedoms resulting in human rights violations. Common practices include imprisonment for conscience, unfair trial of political prisoners, corporal punishment and use of the death penalty, as well as systematic restrictions on movement and denial of certain civil rights.

Very often, ethnic minorities in Iran do not get a fair share of the benefits of natural resources present in their region, for example the water of the Lake Urmia basin in the Azerbaijan provinces, or oil revenue in the Arab-populated province of Ahwaz.

The EU has raised these concerns at the level of the United Nations and they are included in the General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights in Iran, adopted on 20 November 2011. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also underlined discriminatory practices in that country.

The EU does not take a selective approach to this question. The EU acts on the basis of its principled position and it has a keen interest in the preservation and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities across the world. Iran remains a case of grave concern. As in other countries, we are constantly monitoring all examples of repression and discrimination based on sex, thought, conscience, religious belief or ethnic identity. In recent Council conclusions, the EU has deplored the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities.

We have used, and are using, all the available tools to raise awareness and call on Iran to respect principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination. This is no different from the way we act in other cases. The Vice-President/High Representative personally, and the EU, have issued statements and declarations on ethnic and religious intolerance in Iran and have undertaken démarches on individual cases. For example, in June 2011, the EU carried out a démarche in Tehran on the death sentence on four Iranians of Kurdish origin. The EU is deeply concerned at the discrimination and massive oppression of the rights of religious minorities. Vice-President/High Representative Ashton has issued a large number of statements on the precarious situation of the Baha’i minority.

While the EU remains open to discussing human rights issues with Iran, including the status of persons belonging to minorities, it has decided on targeted restrictive measures against individuals deemed to bear direct or indirect responsibility for repression. Some 78 individuals are now on the EU human rights sanctions list for violations in Iran.

  President. – The debate is closed.

The vote will take place directly.

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