Sudwind on the situation in Syria and the expansion of chaos to other parts of the region. (GD Item 4)
26th HRC Session (June 24)
Sudwind on the situation in Syria and the expansion of chaos to other parts of the region. (GD Item 4)
Sudwind expressed its concern about the situation in Syria and the expansion of chaos to other parts of the region. Human Rights Council should consider the matter urgently. The suppression of people’s peaceful demonstrations in Syria gave birth to the evil forces such as ISIS. At present, the Iraqi government’s unwise policies towards Shi’a-Sunni divide has driven many Sunni oppositions towards the ISIS and the country into further chaos, where the ordinary people are the main victims. In parts of the country where the ISIS forces have taken over, they have sanctioned rape under a fatwa: Jihad al-Nikah, raping women under a religious guise. This can be categorized as a war crime and crime against humanity. The continuation of the recent tensions in Iraq has put the lives of Iranians living in Iraq at risk. Also, the lives of Sunni prisoners in the Iranian jails can be in danger. We are concerned that comments given by the high ranking Iranian politicians including Iran’s President Mr Hasan Rouhani will instigate the Shia-Sunni divide and create further tensions in the region. The unofficial presence of Irani’s revolutionary guards in Iraq which produced its first victim, Alireza Moshajari can expand the war to Iran. Jamshid Dehghani, Jahangir Dehghani, Hamed Ahmadi and Kamal Molayee, who we mentioned last week in this council, have begun their 10th hunger strike today. According the reports sent by their families who are in a sit-in protest in front of the Ghezel Hesar prison the prisoners had been subjected to at least four mock executions which is one of the worst forms of psychological torture. The prisoners are held in solitary confinement. A number of the founders of Step by Step to Stop Death (LEGAM) have joined the families and demanded the immediate cancellation of the death penalty for the 4 mentioned prisoners. Latif Hosseini, political prisoner, sentenced to 9 years and kept at Tabriz prison is on his 37 days hunger strike, has lost 15 kilos and narrowly survived a heart attack and can barely stand on his feet. Reza Shahabi, labour activist and winner of Sudwind Raha prize for human rights, is on his 23 day of hunger strike in opposition to his transfer to a prison which lacks basic facilities provided in some other prisons. These are a small proportion of systematic abuse of human rights in Iran. We believe that the Human Rights Council should pay special attention to the systematic and deteriorating situation of human rights in the I.R.I.
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