UN Acknowledges Violence in Iran - Stronger Action Needed

An important first step on the international front involving the United Nations and Iran.  U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate end to arrests and the threat and use of violence by authorities in Iran.

He urged them to respect fundamental civil rights, "especially the freedom of assembly and expression."  The BBC is reporting that Ban has been following the situation in Iran with "growing concern" and was dismayed by the post-election violence, particularly the use of force against civilians.

The U.N. Chief called on Iranian authorities "to respect fundamental civil and political rights, especially the freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of information." 

That's a good start.  But, the fact is that the United Nations needs to take strong action - approving a resolution condemning the deadly violence and abuse of human rights. As you recall, the ACLJ - and our international affiliate - the European Centre for Law and Justice - sent a letter yesterday to the U.N. urging them to take the strongest action possible to bring an end to the violence against Iranian citizens. 

In our letter, which is posted here, we detailed specifics on how Iran is violating internationally recognized standards for human rights set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 

The letter cites the deadly violence used by the Iranian government against its citizens saying the use of force to intimidate the public and stifle peaceful demonstrations is an affront to basic human rights.

The ACLJ and ECLJ note that both the UDHR and ICCPR protect the civil, political, and basic human rights of individuals regardless of their political opinion and calls on Iran government to conduct fair elections and protect the integrity of the voting process.  Further, the letter asserts that Irans media crackdown barring access to the worlds news media also violates international law, which recognizes that the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas may be exercised through any media.

The time to speak out against this violation of human rights is now.  Please take a moment and add your name to our petition calling on the U.N. to condemn the violence in Iran.  You can add your name here.