Arcdh Arc – Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis of Iran "ArcDH"
ArcDH Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran expresses concern about the upcoming visit of Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, to Iran on February 3, 2024, to investigate women’s issues and executions. While Ms. Al-Nashif has worked in Libya, Lebanon, and Iraq, her acceptance by the Islamic Republic of Iran raises suspicions that the Iranian government intends to politically exploit her visit, similar to the exploitation of visits by other reporters of sanctions. This raises concerns among human rights advocates.
ArcDH Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran believes that, given the ongoing political executions in Iran and the clear manifestation of sexual apartheid in the treatment of women by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ms. Al-Nashif’s visit to Iran should be conditional. If she complies with the mandatory hijab upon entering Iran, it would symbolize the suppression of women who have been killed for the right to freedom of dress. Not meeting with prisoners under execution and their families would effectively endorse the government’s policy of state-sponsored killings.
Currently, 62 women political prisoners are on hunger strike in protest of recent executions in Evin Prison. The incarceration of these women along with thousands of female prisoners is not based on fair laws, but on the will of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Official statistics indicate that the Republic has 217 prisons across the country, with 55 prisons managed by the Ministry of Intelligence and 33 prisons managed by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC. In Iran, there are 88 prisons for political and ideological prisoners, reflecting the human rights tragedy in the country.
The Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran- ArcDH calls on Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to include in her agenda visits to prisons in provincial centres, not limited to Tehran. Numerous political prisoners in Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, Zanjan, and Ahar are imprisoned for advocating mother tongue education, democratic aspirations, or environmental protection. These prisoners and their families also want a meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, and Ms. Al-Nashif should not leave their requests unanswered.
ArcDH Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran
January 25, 2024