United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a United Nations Special Rapporteur whose mandate is to monitor and investigate human rights violations in Iran. The current Special Rapporteur is Javaid Rehman. He is the sixth special rapporteur to Iran, following the tenures of Andrés Aguilar (1984–1986), Reynaldo Galindo Pohl (1986–1995), Maurice Copithorne (1995–2002),[1][2] Ahmed Shaheed (2011–2016),[3] and Asma Jilani Jahangir (2016–2018).[4]
Tenures
Andrés Aguilar (1984–1986)
In 1984, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) appointed Andrés Aguilar of Venezuela as its Special Representative to Iran on human rights. Iran refused to engage with him and he "eventually resigned, unable to persuade Iranian officials to cooperate with him in any way."[2][5]
Reynaldo Galindo Pohl (1986–1995)
Galindo Pohl, a prominent diplomat and professor of law from El Salvador,[6] served as the Special Representative from 1986 to 1995.[2] He visited Iran three times between 1990 and 1992, but after his third visit, he was barred from visiting Iran.[7]
Maurice Copithorne (1995–2002)
Following the resignation of Galindo Pohl, the UNCHR appointed Maurice Copithorne,[8] a Canadian lawyer,[9] as the Special Rapporteur. On 22 April 2002, the UNCHR voted not to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, a decision condemned by Human Rights Watch (HRW)[10] and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).[11]
Ahmed Shaheed (2011-2016)
In March 2011, the UN Human Rights Council re-established this mandate, which the UNCHR had terminated in 2002, under the title Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.[12] Ahmed Shaheed was the Special Rapporteur from 2011 to 2016.[13] He went on to become the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.[14] He was twice Foreign Minister of the Maldives from 2005 to 2007 and 2008 to 2010.[15]
Asma Jahangir (2016–2018)
Asma Jilani Jahangir was selected as the Special Rapporteur in 2016. She was a human rights lawyer of Pakistani origin and a former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. She suffered from cardiac arrest in Lahore on 11 February 2018 and later died at the hospital.[16]
Javaid Rehman (2018–)
On 7 July 2018, Javaid Rehman was appointed as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
List
# | Rapporteur | Nationality | Years |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Andrés Aguilar | Venezuela | 1984–1986 |
2 | Reynaldo Galindo Pohl | El Salvador | 1986–1995 |
3 | Maurice Copithorne | Canada | 1995–2002 |
— | 2002–2011 | ||
4 | Ahmed Shaheed | Maldives | 2011–2016 |
5 | Asma Jahangir | Pakistan | 2016–2018 |
6 | Javaid Rehman | Pakistan | 2018– |
See also
External links
- https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-iran Site of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
References
- ^ "New U.N. Human Rights Rapporteur for Iran". The Iran Primer. United States Institute of Peace. 20 June 2011.
- ^ a b c Afshari, Reza (2011). Human Rights in Iran: The Abuse of Cultural Relativism. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. xvii–xviii. ISBN 978-0812221398.
- ^ "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- ^ "Appointment of Asma Jahangir | U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran". U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
- ^ "Iran Agrees to UN Visit". IranWire. 14 November 2014.
- ^ "UN investigator who revealed Iran's 'Baha'i Question' memorandum dies aged 93". Baha'i World News Service. 10 January 2012.
- ^ "A History of United Nations Special Representatives and Rapporteurs in Iran". Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.
- ^ "Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (PDF). United Nations. 20 October 1995.
- ^ "UN criticises Iran's human rights". BBC. 18 October 2000.
- ^ "Iran: U.N. Fails to Condemn Rights Abuses". HRW. 22 April 2002.
- ^ "Commission Deplores Unwarranted Rejection of UNCHR Resolution on Iran". USCIRF. 24 April 2002.
- ^ "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran". UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Human rights in Iran are still atrocious: While Iran reopens to the West, repression still prevails at home". The Economist. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ "IHEU | UN appoints new Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief". iheu.org. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
- ^ "Special Rapporteur on Iran". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
- ^ Human rights icon Asma Jahangir passes away in LahoreHuman rights icon Asma Jahangir passes away in Lahore
- v
- t
- e
- Burundi (Fortuné Gaetan Zongo)
- Cambodia (Vitit Muntarbhorn)
- Iran (Javaid Rehman)
- Myanmar (Tom Andrews)
- North Korea (Elizabeth Salmón)
- Palestine (Francesca Albanese)
- Somalia (Isha Dyfan)
- Adequate Housing (Balakrishnan Rajagopal)
- Contemporary Forms of Slavery (Tomoya Obokata)
- Cultural Rights (Alexandra Xanthaki)
- Democratic and Equitable International Order (Livingstone Sewanyana)
- Education (Farida Shaheed)
- Effects of Economic Reform Policies and Foreign Debt on Human Rights (Attiya Waris)
- Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions (Morris Tidball-Binz)
- Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association (Clément Nyaletsossi Voule)
- Freedom of Opinion and Expression (Irene Khan)
- Freedom of Religion or Belief (Nazila Ghanea)
- Human Rights Defenders (Mary Lawlor)
- Independence of Judges and Lawyers (Margaret Satterthwaite)
- Minority Issues (Fernand de Varennes)
- Negative Impact of the Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights (Alena Douhan)
- Physical and Mental Health (Tlaleng Mofokeng)
- Protecting Human Rights while Countering Terrorism (Ben Saul)
- Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Ashwini K.P.)
- Right to Food (Michael Fakhri)
- Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children (Najat Maalla M'jid)
- Torture (Alice Jill Edwards)
- Trafficking in Persons (Siobhán Mullally)
- Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of non-Recurrence (Fabián Salvioli)
- Violence against Women (Reem Alsalem)
- Human Rights and Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (Pedro Arrojo Agudo)
- Human Rights and International Solidarity (Cecilia Bailliet)
- Human Rights and the Illicit Movement of Toxic Waste (Marcos A. Orellana)
- Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises (Damilola Olawuyi)
- Human Rights of Indigenous People (Francisco Cali Tzay)
- Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (Paula Gaviria Betancur)
- Human Rights of Migrants (François Crépeau)
- Human Rights and the Environment (David Boyd)