The mockery of Human Rights by the United Nations

(M. Parvin)

The UN made another mockery of human rights by electing the Islamic Regime in Iran (IRI) to five subcommittees of the Economic and Social Council, including one to the Commission of the Status of Women in April 2014. By far, this is the most arrogant insult to all women, specifically Iranian women. The UN has a history of exhibiting a favorable attitude toward human rights abusers. The Commission on the Human Rights (CHR), established in 1946, was so ineffective that it was replaced in 2006 by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) with the premise of “a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights,” as declared by the U.N. General Assembly President, Jan Eliasson [1]. 

This "new era" that attracted the votes of notorious human rights abusers such as Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Burma, and Pakistan, has served as a platform for these abusers to ward off criticism and avoid accountability for their gross violations of human rights. 

Shortcomings in the structure of the UN allowed for such abuses. For example, there is no prohibition on electing nations to the council that are under UN Security Council sanctions for human rights abuses. No state is barred from membership in the HRC regardless of how poor its human rights record is. 

In its first year, in its fourth regular session, the HRC decided to discontinue consideration of human rights violations in Iran and Uzbekistan [2]. 

The Islamic Regime in Iran was rewarded again by the UN in April of 2010 by being elected to a four-year seat on the UN Commission of the Status of Women which is supposed to be dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of Women [3]. A regime whose monstrous views of women is codified in its laws including Sharia’s laws [4], as well as in executive and cultural institutions, and a regime that has consistently advocated gender inequality in all places was elected to promote gender equality!

The United States and twelve other Western democracies kept silent and didn't challenge this election.  And now in 2014, the UN betrays women by placing them under the protection of the Islamic Regime in Iran. The UN is legitimizing the torture, abuse, and murder of Iranian women by appointing the Islamic Regime to these committees. This is a crime. 

The existence of this regime depends on accessing atomic bomb, maintaining and expanding its dominance in the region, promoting its reactionary ideology, and helping terrorists all over the world. The Islamic Regime will never observe human rights in Iran.

Based on Articles 5 and 6 of the UN Charter, a member of the United Nations, which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter may be suspended and expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. This has never happened and having considered the veto power of China and Russia, will never happen.

The governments and companies all over the world are getting ready to embrace the IRI. For example, Foreign Minister of Austria, Sebastian Kurz) went to Iran on April 26 to meet with Rohani and Zarif and discuss their relationship. It is frightening that the recent shameful UN decision was made whilst the IRI has remained on the list of terrorists and under the pending sanctions. It is not that hard to imagine the dark days ahead when the IRI has been accepted by the world community. We have to stop the process of legitimizing the Islamic Regime in Iran.

The least that “democratic” governments can do is to issue a unified statement condemning this shameful act and declare it against every principle upon which the UN is supposedly built. This will be effective if followed by swift action.  Imposing a smart sanction on the Islamic Regime in Iran is one of the most effective ways to prevent this horrible scenario [5]. 

References:

1.    U.N. General Assembly, Department of Public Information, "General Assembly Establishes New Human Rights Council by Vote of 170 in Favour to 4 Against, with 3 Abstentions," GA/10449, March 15, 2006  

2.    The United Nations Human Rights Council: A Disastrous First Year  

3.     Commission on the Status of Women  

4.    Islamic Penal Code of Iran  

5.    Counteracting the legitimization of the Islamic Regime in Iran Advocated by Lobbyists  

Mohammad Parvin, Ph.D., is a former faculty member of California Institute of Technology and an adjunct professor at the California State University, an Aerospace Specialist, and Founding Director of the Mission for Establishment of Human Rights in Iran (MEHR)