Iranian Kurdistan: Human Rights Watch Reports Severe Human Rights Violations in Iran
In its global report, the international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch reports of the continued suppression of the basic human rights of minority groups within Iran despite the so-called reformist President Rouhani being in power. In December 2014 alone, the Iranian Government hanged 64 people, including 11 Iranian Kurds, while political activists and critical media continue to be targeted by the regime.
Below is an article published by Bas News:
In the 656-page world report, its 25th edition, Human Rights Watch, concludes there have been no significant improvements in human rights in the first full year of President Hassan Rouhani, the reformist president.
“Repressive elements within the security and intelligence forces and the judiciary retained wide powers and continued to be the main perpetrators of rights abuses” the report said.
“Executions, especially for drug-related offenses, continued at a high rate. Security and intelligence forces arrested journalists, bloggers, and social media activists, and revolutionary courts handed down heavy sentences against them,” the report added.
According to Human Rights Watch the Iranian government also still restricts cultural as well as political activities among the country’s Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, and Baluch minorities.
“Dozens of others sentenced on terrorism-related charges, including many Iranian Kurds and Baluch, were on death row following trials rife with due process violations,” the report said about the death sentences carried out against Iran’s minorities such as the Kurds.
Bas News reported that just in the month of December [2014], Iran hanged 64 people, of which 11 were Kurds. Kurds have suggested the number of executions have increased under the new government of president Rouhani.
The Human Rights Watch report suggests that the judiciary continued to allow the execution of prisoners convicted of moharebeh (enmity with god) despite penal code changes requiring that it review and commute death sentences unless there is proof that the alleged perpetrator resorted to the use of arms.
You can access the Human Rights Watch World Report 2015 here.
