RFL/RE – A coalition of rights activists and writers have penned an open letter to Nada Al-Nashif, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, urging her to reconsider her planned visit to Iran saying the government will not allow her to see the “truth” about the situation in the country.
Al-Nashif is scheduled to visit Iran from February 2 to February 5 and focus on women’s rights and the death penalty, two issues that have sparked civil unrest for months, leading to a brutal crackdown by authorities.
“We firmly believe that OHCHR has a responsibility not to let its legitimate engagement activities be instrumentalized to undermine other mechanisms that are critical to the promotion and protection of human rights in Iran. To avoid this, we urge you to reconsider the timing of this visit,” the letter says.
In November 2022, the Geneva-based UNHRC formed a fact-finding committee to investigate human rights violations amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini.SEE ALSO:Biden Weighing Options Amid Mounting Pressure To Hit Iran
The resolution provides for an independent investigative mission to document human rights violations in Iran in the context of the protests, which erupted in mid-September after Amini died while being held by police for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly.
The letter said any visit by officials should wait until the results of the UN Human Rights Council’s fact-finding committee are released in March.
“This visit would take place amid an alarming surge in executions…. The visit would also take place in a context marked by the deadly, violent and unlawful repression of the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom movement, and the aggravation of degrading and discriminatory legislations and policies targeting women and girls,” the coalition letter said.
“Informed by past experiences, we can anticipate that Iranian authorities will attempt to instrumentalize their formal engagement with your office and use it as a propaganda tool to undermine support for these existing and very needed monitoring, reporting and investigative mechanisms established by the Human Rights Council.”
Despite the calls, Marta Hurtado, a spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, defended Al-Nashif’s visit telling RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that the goal is to explore “opportunities to improve the human rights situation in Iran.”
But the activists questioned whether the UN delegation will see beyond what the authorities want them to while at the same time pointing out that citizen-journalist video reports, written accounts from victims and activists, and evidence have already been submitted to relevant UN bodies to illustrate the situation on the ground.
“Which humanity and rights are you going to observe in Iran? Are you coming to see the batons that have crushed the skulls of hundreds of Iranian youths over the past year? Or to see the nooses that break the necks of our young people every day? Or to witness the eyes of our beautiful young girls and boys blinded by the pellets of the repressive forces last year?” the letter asks.
Iranian LGBTQ organizations also demanded the cancellation of Al-Nashif’s visit, emphasizing that the trip under the current conditions could be seen as legitimizing a regime that has systematically oppressed sexual and gender minorities for years.