Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
eureporter – After WWII, European voters have been taught to consider human right criteria as a priority, writes Hamid Bahrami.
During the many electoral campaigns in the EU, candidates tout their ideas based on human values and democratic principles such as freedom, gender equality, justice, rule of law, and rejection of fundamentalism.
In reality, however, these valuable words are seen and repeated by some candidates just as indispensable talking points required to be elected. And, unfortunately, soon after taking office, these Machiavellian politicians support the most fundamentalist regimes and advocate intensively for “strongest relations” with dictatorships.
Establishing trade and securing lucrative contracts at any cost, giving political legitimacy to totalitarian regimes and fundamentally corrupt systems, disregarding deterioration of human rights situation and prioritising economic interests are notorious features in the agenda pursued and promoted by these class of politicians.
The European Parliament’s delegation for relation with Iran (D-IR) personifies this class of politicians.
On Saturday, 25 November, the D-IR disregarded all human rights calls and met Iranian regime officials in the country.
The fact that these meetings provide the Iranian regime with a diplomatic cover to intensify domestic repression and continue a renewed crackdown on human rights activists can not be disputed if one follows the news and reports from Iran. But that aside, a woman D-IR delegate, who is also a member of EU Parliament’s Committee for Civil Liberations, like the other female delegates, decided to wear the compulsory hijab during meetings contrary to all democratic values she once advocated and promised to uphold during the election campaign to become a MEP.
This conspicuous hypocrisy is disgusting because as these delegates legitimised the Iranian regime’s misogynistic laws, the International Community observed the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) to raise awareness of violence against women, which marginalises women and girls and reduce them to second-class citizens.
However, pro-regime MEPs repeatedly claim that during such meetings human rights situation is discussed, ignorant of the fact that “action speaks thousands words”.
History reveals that such meetings increase pressure on civil society and human rights defenders. Indeed, it is so obvious that these threadbare clichés will no longer deceive international organisations.
In this regard, in a strong sign of international support for human rights in Iran, 83 countries voted in favour of a resolution by the UN Third Committee on 14 November 2017 criticising the appalling state of human rights in the “Islamic Republic”.
In addition, the resolution urged Iran to respect the right to freedom of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly, both online and offline, “including by ending the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents, human rights defenders, women’s and minority rights activists, labour leaders, students’ rights activists, academics, film-makers, journalists, bloggers, social media users and social media page administrators, media workers, religious leaders, artists, [and] lawyers,” and for Iran to allow “a safe and enabling environment in which an independent, diverse and pluralistic civil society can operate free from hindrance and insecurity.”
The Iranian women harshly criticised the delegation. In one tweet, Nasrin, said “completely ignoring regime’s horrific treatment of women! shameful.”
“Disgrace, shaking hands with murderers”, commented former Scottish MEP, Struan Stevenson, with regards to the D-IR’s meeting in Iran.
It is true that Iran provides tempting economic opportunities and promise of billions of Euros for the EU but this must not incentivise the D-IR and Mogherini’s policy team to close their eyes on Iran’s egregious human rights record and the mullahs’ systematic abuses.
Now, the legitimate question to ask is whether voters in EU are aware of their representatives trampling on their values or not?
EU voters should be careful and remind these representatives of their prime responsibility to uphold, defend and promote these values.
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
Hamid Bahrami is a former political prisoner from Iran. Living in Glasgow, Scotland, he is a human right and political activist and works as a freelance journalist. Bahrami has contributed to Al Arabiya English, American Thinker, Euractive, Newsblaze and Eureporter as his work cover’s Iran’s Middle East actions and domestic social crackdown. He tweets at @HaBahrami and blog at analyzecom.
