Ali Javaheri
Abdolkarim Lahidji, vice president of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, discusses in an interview with Rooz the recent report by the United Nations Secretary General condemning widespread human rights violations in Iran. We read the interview together.
Rooz (R): With a few days having passed since the United Nations Secretary General's report on widespread human rights violations in Iran, we witness that Iran's reaction to this report has been to ignore it. If Iran continues to ignore such warnings, what would be the United Nations' next step?
Abdolkarim Lahiji (AL): The Islamic Republic's relative silence must not be interpreted as ignoring the United Nations Secretary General's report, because the United Nations Secretary General prepares specific reports on human rights conditions in one country only in special instances. For example, the United Nations Secretary General interfered during the Darfur crisis. When the United Nations General Assembly demands that the Secretary General prepare a report about conditions of human rights in Iran to present to the General Assembly, no country can ignore such a report and take a stance similar to when a subdivision of the United Nations, for instance the Human Rights Council, issues a statement. This is because these reports severely tarnish a country's international standing and significantly reduce its potential of cooperation with the international community.
R: The International Federation of Human Rights and the Society for Defense of Human Rights in Iran, while praising the United Nations Secretary General's report about human rights conditions in Iran, have called on member nations to condemn clear and consistent human rights violations in Iran by passing a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly. If such a resolution is passed, what repercussions may it have for Iran?
AL: This is the fifth year in which there is discussion at the United Nations to pass a resolution condemning human rights conditions in Iran. We hope that this resolution attracts enough votes for passage in the coming days with the hard work of our representatives in New York. However, the United Nations Human Rights Council does not, for political reasons, examine human rights conditions in countries, including the Islamic Republic. As a result, we have chosen a more complicated process of going through the Third Committee, which is affiliated with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, to examine human rights conditions in Iran in a resolution in this committee which we hope is passed in the coming weeks. Then the issue is referred back to the United Nations General Assembly and put to another vote there and passed. This process is allowed by special rules included to deal with emergency cases involving human rights violations.
R: In your opinion, does the election of a Democrat to presidency in the United States affect the type and intensity of international community's pressure on Iran with respect to human rights?
AL: In my view, throughout the history of the United States, no president has damaged the country's standing and image more than George Bush has, whether domestically or on the international stage. In general, it has been true and demonstrated by history that Democratic administrations have always shown more sensitivity toward democracy and human rights in Iran. For that reason, both the previous regime and the Islamic Republic regime always preferred the Republicans in power. During the Shah's time we saw that the 1953 coup took place under a Republican administration; the Shah spent millions of dollars to help elect Nixon over Kennedy in the election. In the Islamic Republic era too we see that the Islamic Republic officials preferred Reagan over Carter. But when it comes to international relations we must note that America takes its own interest into account and so we are not under the impression that Mr. Obama or any another president would sacrifice his country's interests for democracy and human rights in Iran.
R: Doesn't the priority of the nuclear issue for world powers make the international community more likely to tolerate other issues - including human rights - in Iran?
AL: Unfortunately the international community is focused on the Islamic Republic's nuclear advances, and yesterday when Mr. Obama held his first press conference in Washington, in response to a question about Ahmadinejad's message and America's policies toward Iran, he only spoke about the nuclear issue. Therefore, we must wait for the future to see whether or not our proposal that all countries and especially Western countries enter negotiations with Iran over human rights and democracy as they did over the nuclear issue is adopted.
