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UN anti-racism panel finds Iran discriminating against
Kurds, Arabs, other ethnic minorities |
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UN anti-racism panel finds Iran
discriminating against Kurds, Arabs, other ethnic
minorities 28.8.2010 |
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August 28, 2010
GENEVA, — A United Nations panel says Arabs,
Kurds and other minorities in Iran face
discrimination because of their ethnicity.
The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination says minorities in the Islamic
republic don't enjoy the same rights to free
expression, health and housing as other ethnic
groups.
The panel published a report Friday urging Iran to
end all forms of discrimination and provide clearer
information for future reports.
The Geneva-based panel also rejected Iran's claims
that discrimination against women and religious
minorities such as the Baha'i isn't covered by the
U.N.'s 1969 anti-racism convention. |
UN anti-racism panel finds Iran discriminating
against Kurds, Arabs, other ethnic minorities. |
— UN racism body decries
Iran’s treatment of ethnic minorities
Iran should do more to protect its ethnic minorities
such as Arabs, Kurds and Baluch, a United Nations
human rights body said on Friday.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD), a group of 18 independent
rights experts, said Iran lacked data on the numbers
of ethnic minorities despite a census in 2007, but
the participation of such people in public life
appeared to be lower than could be expected.
Several armed groups opposed to the government are
active in Iran, mostly made up of ethnic Kurds in
the northwest, Baluch in the southeast and Arabs in
the southwest.
“The Committee expresses concern at the limited
enjoyment of political, economic, social and
cultural rights by... Arab, Azeri, Balochi, Kurdish
communities and some communities of non-citizens,”
it said in a report on a regular review of Iran’s
compliance with a 1969 international treaty banning
racism.
It also urged Iran to continue its efforts to
empower women and promote their rights, paying
particular attention to women belonging to ethnic
minorities.
Some tenets of Islamic sharia law disadvantage
Iranian women, Indian committee member Dilip Lahiri
said. “On the other hand, in terms of their
education and access to jobs, very remarkable
progress has been made in Iran,” he told a briefing.
The committee voiced concern at reports of a
selection procedure for state officials and
employees, known as gozinesh, requiring them to
demonstrate allegiance to the Islamic Republic of
Iran and the state religion,www.ekurd.netwhich
could limit opportunities for ethnic and religious
minorities.
It said that lack of complaints was not proof of the
absence of racial discrimination, as victims may not
have confidence in the police or judicial
authorities to handle them.
It called on Iran to set up an independent national
human rights institution and report back to it at
the start of 2013 on how it was dealing with the
concerns and recommendations.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
The Associated Press | AP
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