Parallel events on human rights in Iran during the 22nd session of the Human Rights Council
Parallel events on human rights in Iran during the 22nd session of the Human Rights Council Seven parallel events on human rights in Iran will be hold by Südwind at the 22nd regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council from 25 February to 22 March 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland. The events will bring together Iranian human rights defenders and activists from various backgrounds and will share information on political rights, women’s rights, the situation of disabled peoples, the impacts of torture and other cruel and inhuman punishments of detainees, the effect of economic sanctions on the human rights situation as well as on rights of ethnic and religious minority groups in Iran. The first parallel event will take place on March 1st (2 pm) and will concern political rights in Iran in advance of the presidential election in 2014. March 6th (3pm) will be focused on torture and other cruel and inhuman punishments in Iran. At the international women’s day on March 8 (5 pm) a parallel event will be hold on women’s rights to bring more light on the situation of women disables, children asylums and girl brides. On 11th March, the Human Rights Council will hold interactive discussions with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and in the afternoon Südwind parallel event (4 pm) on the effects of economic sanctions on the human rights situation in Iran will take place. On 12th March (4 pm) the human rights situation in Iran will be discussed in general. On 13th March (2 pm) a parallel event on the human rights situation of ethnic minority groups in Iran and on March 14 (2 pm) a parallel event on the human rights situation of religious minority groups will take place. Speakers include Iranian human rights defenders and activists from around the world such as Saïd Amir Arjomand, adviser to Hussein Mousavi, one of the fraud elections of 2009 candidates, attorney Hassan Fereshtian and women’s rights activists Parvin Bakhtiarnejad, Khadijeh Moghaddam and Rezvan Moghaddam. Religious scholars like Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh of Sufis in Iran and Monsour Borji, an Iranian Kurdish Christian as well as Simin Fahandej, representative of the Baha’i International Community and defense and human rights attorney Naghi Mahmoudi, who represents many Azeri (Iranian Azerbaijanis) prisoners and detainees, Jale Tabrizi from Azari Ethnic Group, Naser Mohtashami from Baluch Ethnic Group will also attend. Monireh Baradaran, expert on torture issue, Mehri Jaffari, lawyer, journalist Rajabali Mazroui, Serajedin Mirdamady are also among many other Iranian human rights defenders, who will take part in the parallel events. For further information or to schedule a media interview with a speaker, please contact: Sholeh Zamini (Farsi, English), Email: s.zamini@suedwind.at, phone: +0041 799428350, www.iranhrc.org Südwind is an Austrian non-governmental organization, founded in 1979, and has been in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council since 2009. Since 2010 Südwind has participated in the Human Rights Council, delivering statements and organising parallel events amongst others on human rights in Iran. The activities are funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation since 2012.
