http://radiokoocheh.com/article/126721
21st Sep 2011
Ardavan Roozbeh / Radio Koocheh
Translated by Avideh Motmaen-Far
On Monday, September 12, the Human Rights Council met for its 18th session in Geneva, the European headquarters of the UN. On this three week meeting, Member States will examine different cases about human rights from different parts of the world.
On the first day of the three week meeting, High Commissioner Navi Pillay presented her report to the Council. Also on Monday panabout children’s participation in armed conflicts was held.
On the second day, the special rapporteur UNSR on international solidarity and workers group related to hiring of mercenaries reported to the Council.
The same afternoon, Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protest including United Nations Deputy High Commissioner Kyung-wha Ka, and the representative of human rights societies federation pointed out the post-elections events in Iran. For more information about the events of the last meeting, I had an interview with “Hassan Nayeb Hashem”, human rights activist and one of the audience in the United Nations headquarters in Geneva and I asked him about the latest news from the Human Rights Council meeting:
Many thanks for being with us in the studios of Radio Koocheh. As you know, since Monday, September 12, the Human Rights Council met for its 18th session. Please explain what issues related to Iran will be examined?
Usually, the first week, the UNHCR and special rapporteurs present their reports. The second week, the major human rights issues are being investigated and the third week is usually the decision making week. Also issues related to Palestine, racial discrimination and the countries involved in this issue are considered in the third week.
The second week (next week), depending on how acute are the human rights issues in the world, many countries and non-governmental organizations will be referring to Iran. We also tried to organize lateral events in this week and those who are expert or human rights activist, direct or indirect victims of human rights violations in Iran are participating in these events and those who are in the human rights council, are trying to draw the attention to human rights violations in Iran.
Mr. Ahmad Shaheed will be present in this meeting. Have Iranian activists established any contact with him or any report will be given to him?
Mr. Ahmad Shaheed will go to New York and he will not be in this 18th session meetings of Human Rights Council. Normally, he has tried to have a conversation with Iranian officials to be able to go to Iran. He has also talked with many of human rights activists. When he and the Secretary General of the United Nations will be presenting their reports late this month to the General Assembly, these reports will be presented also early next month to the third committee of the General Assembly. The Assembly in recent years, has had only one report but this time, it has to examine two reports. Mr. Ben Ki Moon and Mr. Ahmad Shaheed, both will be presenting their reports. We expect the resolution of the General Assembly to be stronger than other years and to be welcomed in the world or more people vote for it.
But Mr. Ahmad Shaheed will present his detailed report to the UN Security Council meeting on human rights next March and has no report for this Council meeting.
Does this mean that Mr. Shaheed will present a report even though he is not allowed to go to Iran?
Yes. His commitment is to report to the international community and the Human Rights Council. According to the Act of the meeting that two former Human Rights Council had, the rapporteur has to submit a report to the General Assembly and the 19th Summit in March. He has given his word to the international community.
With regard to your presence in Geneva to follow what happens there, does it seem to you that Mr. Shaheed has become familiar with issues related to Iran so far?
Yes. He has been following Iran’s issues before. And he remembers even the day that was a turning point in his life, the black Friday that Maldives had, and in the period of democracy in this country, he was thinking of someone who was in Mashhad. So before he becomes a known political celebrity as the foreign ministry in Maldives, he had had his contacts with Iran. Even before his candidacy was put forward, he has worked on these issues and is aware of Iran situation and is hopeful that as he comes from a Muslim country, he could have travelled to Iran. With information that Iranian human rights activists have given him on Iran’s issues, he seems to be quite aware of the situation.
On the first day of the meeting, Ms Pillay has presented a report to the Council. Did she mention anything about Iran in her report?
Ms. Pillay’s report contrary to her report presented in the last meeting of the Council was very vague and she did not mention clearly Iran. At the moment, the issue in Somalia, generally the Arab world and specifically Syria are very important. But in a report that his deputy presented on the issue of freedom of peaceful assembly, there was mention of Iran and the aftermath of the elections of June 2009. Ms Pillay’s Deputy, some countries and non-governmental organizations related to freedom of peaceful assembly and the events in Iran after the elections.
