Put Iran’s Deteriorating Human Rights on Top of the Agenda

Iran Human Rights calls on the Swedish Foreign Minister and the Western Governments visiting Iran to put Iran’s deteriorating human rights situation on top of their agenda.

Iran Human rights, February 4, 2014: Although the number of executions has surged alarmingly since the June Presidential elections, the international community is improving its relations with the Iranian authorities. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt started a four day visit to Iran on Monday. EU and British Parliamentary officials will also visit Iran in near future.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) calls on governments and the international community to use dialogue with the Iranian authorities to improve the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran.

IHR spokesman Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “We ask Swedish Foreign minister Carl Bildt in particular to raise the recent executions of two Ahwazi Arab activists and question why were they executed. Why were they not given a fair trial? Why have their families been threatened and still have not received the bodies of their loved ones?”

Amiry-Moghaddam continued: “We remind the international community that the human rights situation in Iran after the Presidential elections of June 2013, not only has not improved but is worsening and ask Mr. Bildt and all the members of the international community to make the improvement of the human rights situation and a moratorium on executions the conditions for further improvement in relations”.

Last week, IHR reported onthe execution of the two Ahwazi Arab teachers. Hashem Shabani (32) and Hadi Rashedi (38) were sentenced to death for Moharebeh (“enmity against God”), Mufsid-fil-Arz (“corruption on earth”) and spreading propaganda against the system in July 2012 alongside three other political prisoners. All are founding members of Al-Hewar, a cultural institute that promoted Arabic education, literature and cultural activities among deprived Ahwazi Arab youth.

According to the official and confirmed unofficial reports at least 63 people have been executed in Iran so far in 2014, and since the June 2013 Presidential elections about 500 death sentences have been implemented.