The Human Cost of Ahmadinejad's Rule

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations today, he did not mention conditions in prisons, escalating executions or how he manages his increasingly repressive domestic regime.

In the UN's stately green marble setting, he was not questioned about the skyrocketing child executions in Iran, the persecution of women and human rights defenders, the death threats against the country's Nobel laureate, or the torture and imprisonment of government critics.

And that's a shame.

This July, Iran executed 29 people in a single day following unfair trials. The process was so opaque that the identities of 19 of the executed men remain unknown. In 2005, when Ahmadinejad took office, Iran executed 86 people. Last year this number almost quadrupled to 317 people executed. Indeed, Iran executes more people than any other country but China (although its population is 18 times smaller).

Though Iran is a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran also leads the world in executing juvenile offenders, children under the age of 18. Since 2005, only five countries have executed juvenile offenders. As Human Rights Watch has documented in a new report, of 32 such executions that have taken place, 80 percent have been by Iran, earning it the medal of shame by a far margin. So far, Iran is the only country on record for executing juveniles in 2008. Six have been executed and some 130 other juveniles are currently on death row.

The persecution and prosecution of women's rights activists has also been a priority under President Ahmadinejad. Women's rights activists have been fighting to remove gender discrimination from Iranian laws. Their campaign has diffused throughout the country as they have focused their energy on peaceful civil action, education, and lobbying state mechanisms--all activities fully within the law.

Several high-ranking Shi'a religious scholars have supported their goals, stating that there are no religious mandates for legal gender discrimination. However, the government has regularly detained, harassed, and prosecuted peaceful women's rights activists. The courts have sentenced them to lengthy prison terms as well as the barbaric punishment of flogging.

President Ahmadinejad's administration has also viciously targeted human rights defenders. Last month, the state official news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency, launched a series of attacks and defamations against Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate. These articles rehashed allegations by a shadowy group that has sent regular death threats to Ebadi over the years. As a result, her safety and security are in serious danger.

Another well-known human rights defender, Emad Baghi, is currently imprisoned for articles he wrote against the application of death penalty a decade ago. With his health in a critical state, intelligence agents continue to harshly interrogate him in prison -- ironically, about his advocacy for prisoners' rights. Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand, the founder of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, is serving an 11- year sentence; his crime: human rights advocacy.

These are only a few of the many grave human rights issues that have reached a crisis level under President Ahmadinejad. The persecution and prosecution of dissidents, journalists, students, labor activists, religious and ethnic minorities are also rampant.

The UN Secretary General is currently preparing a report on the situation of human rights in Iran as required by a resolution passed by the General Assembly in December 2007.

Since President Ahmadinejad refuses to cooperate with UN bodies and international human rights groups, and ruthlessly suppresses civil society and independent journalism at home, his presence in the United Nations' corridors of power is an all-too-rare opportunity to hold him to international human rights principles and to let voices from Iran's escalating human rights crisis be heard.

Comments

[MagisterLudi]

VIENNA, Austria - Iran is nearing the ability to arm a nuclear warhead... the European Union warned Wednesday. The EU also asserting that Iran appeared to have had a past nuclear arms program despite its denials., the IAEA's exhaustive and detailed" information, "leads one to think that the Iran has methodically pursued a program aimed at acquiring the nuclear bomb."

[RoloTomassi]

When US presidents or high level officials get up in front of the UN and bare the far-less-than-clean soul of the US government and the many and highly diverse "special activities" they engage in, then you might have a reasonable point to make--at least by comparison--but not as things stand now.

And, if you had any real honesty to offer to this subject matter, you'd be willing to admit that he made very similar points about the US's hypocritical behavior and standards during his speech.

Let's not let the complete lack of universality and the accepted practice of overt hypocrisy hide or negate the FACTS:

1) we have capital punishment [and don't even get me started on the absurd notion of criminal justice in the US]

2) we torture prisoners

3) we run secret prisons & practice terrorism [as does Israel]

4) we provide safe haven for known terrorists

We do most of the things you criticize Iran / Ahmadinejad for, but somehow still feel justified in leveling a holier-than-thou critique.

It is a reasonable point that we are in many ways far more progressive--but we are so hypocritical and arrogant that our best features as a nation are frequently overshadowed by our worst crimes.

[MagisterLudi]

Ahmadinejad's U.N speech .

"God Almighty has tied their perfection and true freedom of humans to their devotion and obedience to Himself. True freedom and obedience to God are in balance and in fact are two sides of the same coin.
"Obeisance to God means confessing to monotheism and obeying His commands, and to be free from ungodly worship...Be aware that living with obedience to God and carrying out His orders... is to your advantage too. I invite you to return to the path of God, the Prophets

What a scary future this fanatic is preparing for the world. Freedom is obeying monotheistic God. Hmmm.... Monotheism?! I guess that leaves Buddhists, Hindu, atheists to suffer the consequences, eh Mahmoud.
Ahamadinejad is not worthy of washing Dalai Lama's old socks.

[bronceye]

Ahmadinejad is the pres. of his country. His country is obviously ok with his style of governance or he would be impeached. In just a few months, they will hold an alection. They will either reelect him or elect someone else. He isn't a dictator and we are really wasting a lot of good ole U.S.A. hatred if we have to learn to hate another name in a few months. Please, let us save our hatred for the next pres. of Iran. We can take solace in knowing that whoever wins will hate us and Israel so they will fall easily into our "nuke 'em" fantasies. They only represent their constituents, like bush/cheney who enjoy the role of thumbs down Darwinists.

[MagisterLudi]

Agreed. He is not a dictator. He is a Ayatollah's gofer. In Iranian "democracy" you have a choice between politicians who support Supreme Leader's and politicians who eh... also support Supreme Leader's policy. Everyone else is in jail.

[MagisterLudi]

"His country is obviously ok with his style of governance"
You mean the Supreme Leader Ayatollah is OK with his governance. Not the people.

[lucite]

There is no press in this country on the emergence of dissent among the highly educated young people in Iran.
That country has it's own internal problems with politics. Philosphy of governing goes in full circle every few decades. Many Iranian citizens remember a western style government and still long for it. Let the people of Iran destroy Ahmadinejad and politicians like him
Look what happened to Mussolini, his own people hang him upside down. Saddam also did not have much longer to rule Iraq. We jumped on him much to quickly. Saddam had something like 63 body doubles to help avoid an Iraquian gunman taking him out.

[Incredulous]

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations today, he did not mention conditions in prisons, escalating executions or the increasingly repressive domestic regime in America either..

[debrouillard]

Whats happening to you Americans?

Dont you know Charity begins at home?

You wanna travel across the world to criticise Hamadinenajad mean while right at your door step you have Bus/Cheney. Or you think only Soldiers are being killed in Iraq? Women and kids are being killed in Iraq.
You talk about human rights,right under your nose at the RNC activist were being abused and told they have no rights what so ever.

Transparency,There u have McCain .Palin who thinks Palin is not answerable to any one.Completely ignores the rules of law and order.

Please,before you tell a neighbour they havent done their lawn,make sure yours is neat and tidy.

[MagisterLudi]

"Women and kids are being killed in Iraq."

It is unfortunate that most are killed by people you support--bitter truth.

[marissyb29]

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, along with Genocide Watch and sponsors, hosted a conference yesterday on the subject of Ahmadinejad's incitement to genocide. Many of the issues raised in this article were also brought up in this conference. Check out summaries of each speaker (and in the next day or two its full screening) at www.jcpa.org.

[scordsdu]

You write about symptoms to a deeper problem in Iran. There has to exist a Leader who can see this coming with Iran. It's unbelievable Israel hasn't already leveled Iranian Nuclear Programs. This is terrible for Israel and the West.

[arvay]

Let them try it, the result will be an economic collapse no US financial rescue can reverse. That would end the israeli state sooner than later, which would be blessing for the world and remove a major impediment to peace in the Mideast.

As bad as this guy is, he's being helped by the US' constant pressure, which keeps making the Iranians back him out of nationalism.

And Israel's apartheid rule is as bad as Iranian religious fanaticism -- and it's something the Iranians practice on their own people, not against anyone else.

Eventually, the Iranians will throw off this insanity, and the Palestinians will defeat the Israeli state. Jews and Palestinians will some day live in a democratic state with equal rights for all. That's the march of human rights -- not a state that's designed to have a majority of one dominant race or religion.

[MagisterLudi]

"Palestinians will defeat the Israeli state. Jews and Palestinians will some day live in a democratic state with equal rights for all."
Beautiful.
Let's now read some excerpts out of current Gaza rulers' governance charter: Shall we?

Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution:There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.

UNDER THE WING OF ISLAM, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other.It is the duty of the followers of other religions to stop disputing the sovereignty of Islam in this region."
http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm

Arvay , are you saying these people will go away if one state is formed? The same people are fighting governments in EVERY MUSLISM COUNTRY. You're saying these ind of intolerant will lay down their arms to co-exists with others?
Think about these questions. Do some independent reading. Learn to do objective analysis. The peace is ONLY possible when radicals are defeated. Then reasonable people can negotiate.

[papapj]

Hadi,

Human rights..gimme a break! The fake'concern' for rights is prefaced by a Zionist wish to silence any leaders in the region who can challenge their military superiority and questions them on THEIR racist oppression of the Palestinian natives..all of which is neatly covered up by a jingoistic media and foreign office who refuse to address this hypocritical oversight, and instead pledge more of OUR tax dollars to sustain it.

Where's your outrage at this, Hadi?

[WorkingClass]

......."he did not mention conditions in prisons, escalating executions or how he manages his increasingly repressive domestic regime".

You wont hear it from Bush in his state of the union either. Bush is by far the greater tyrant. Perhaps the U.S. military will turn Iran into a liquid hell of death and destruction like Iraq. This article just gives him the justification he wants.

[bn]

So - how is this repression any different from the Shah's regime in the 1970's? This time it is the clerics using the government's secret police to oppress their people.

We now have hardliners leading both Iran and USA, and the women and the poor suffer.
Who will be willing to reach any kind of compromise? Unfortunately Iran's Obamas are all under arrest...

[foxfan]

If we can stay out of Darfur, then we can stay out of Iran.

[jeanrenoir]

I'm sure the Iranian regime is bad news for freedom and humanity. But I hope this piece is not like the drumbeat of attacks on Saddam Hussein which were simply part of a concerted neocon propaganda campaign to help justify our insane, absurd, completely unjustifiable, and incredibly costly war on Iraq, which has contributed mightily to the destabilizing of the American economy we see before us today. An attack on Iran would make a terrible economic situation America and the world face now, completely catastrophic. Let's NOT be suckered into another Republican neocon campaign for "regime change" which will end up harming America much more than the Iranian mullahs, even if we kill them all like Hussein.