GENEVA / HUMAN RIGHTS IRAN

STORY: GENEVA / HUMAN RIGHTS IRAN
TRT: 3:05
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 21 JUNE 2023, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

1. Med shot, UN Palais with flags
2. Wide shot, pan down from ceiling of the UN Human Rights Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
4. Wide shot, photographer taking pictures in the Human Rights Council room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“In 2022, 582 people were executed, that is a 75 per cent increase compared to 2021 during which 333 people were reportedly executed. There were three children among those executed in 2022. Of the total number of executions, 256 were for drug-related offences.”
6. Med shot, delegates from diverse member states
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“There have been numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment of individuals by security forces during arrest and interrogation to extract forced confessions as well as allegations of sexual and gender-based violence committed against women, men and children, especially in detention. As previously reported, prison conditions including denial of medical care, dire sanitary conditions, contaminated drinking water and overcrowding, remain of concern.”
8. Med shot, photographer and camerawoman at the Human Rights Room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“On 15 August 2022, the President signed a decree which includes the introduction of face-recognition technology to track and punish unveiled women or those who actively question compulsory veiling. At the legislative level, new draft provisions to the Penal Code are being considered in parliament to expand the scope of offenses for non-compliance, allowing imprisonment, flogging, and other punishments.”
10. Med shot, delegates in Human Rights Room from behind with screen of speakers
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The report also notes with grave concern that as of 2 March of this year, more than 1,000 students, the majority of whom are girls, had reportedly been affected by suspected poisoning in 91 schools in 20 provinces. The authorities provided conflicting accounts of these incidents. »
12. Med shot, panel with speakers
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Bahreini, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN in Geneva:
“The report should not represent a clumsy, inappropriate and inaccurate collection, including allegations received from newspapers and unreliable and irrelevant websites or sources known for spreading false and biased news or based on fake news published by terrorist and hostile organisations.”
14. Close up, photographer
15. Med shot, delegates in Human Rights Room
16. Med shot, delegates in Human Rights Room

STORYLINE:

A record number of executions in 2022, arrests of thousands of children and numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment of individuals by security forces are amongst the grim findings of a report released on Wednesday by the UN Secretary-General on the human rights situation in Iran.

“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights who presented the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva today (21 Jun).

The report focuses on developments since the onset of nation-wide protests following the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022, three days after she fell into a coma and died in police custody. Her death sparked protests around the country bringing out long standing discrimination in law and practice against women and girls as well as minorities.

The report notes with serious concern the high number of death penalty sentences and executions during the reporting period.

“In 2022, 582 people were executed”, noted Ms Al-Nashif. “That is a 75 per cent increase compared to 2021 during which 333 people were reportedly executed. There were three children among those executed in 2022. Of the total number of executions, 256 were for drug-related offences.”
This marks the highest rate of drug-related executions in the country since 2017.

The report further said that thousands of children are estimated to have been among those arrested. During the reporting period, at least 44 children, including 10 girls, were reportedly killed by security forces using lethal force, with the highest number reported in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, where at least 10 children were killed.

“There have been numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment of individuals by security forces during arrest and interrogation to extract forced confessions as well as allegations of sexual and gender-based violence committed against women, men and children, especially in detention,” said Ms Al-Nashif. “Prison conditions including denial of medical care, dire sanitary conditions, contaminated drinking water and overcrowding, remain of concern.”

Since the onset of protests, respect for the rights to freedom has significantly deteriorated. State policy has become more stringent in enforcing mandatory veiling and imposing harsher penalties for women and girls.

“On 15 August 2022, the President signed a decree which includes the introduction of face-recognition technology to track and punish unveiled women or those who actively question compulsory veiling”, said the Deputy UN Human Rights Chief. “At the legislative level, new draft provisions to the Penal Code are being considered in parliament to expand the scope of offenses for non-compliance, allowing imprisonment, flogging, and other punishments.”

The report also noted Iran’s failure to protect the physical and mental well-being of female students and attacks on their right to education. “As of 2 March of this year, more than 1,000 students, the majority of whom are girls, had reportedly been affected by suspected poisoning in 91 schools in 20 provinces. The authorities provided conflicting accounts of these incidents,” noted Ms Al-Nashif.

For Ali Bahreini, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN in Geneva “the report should not represent a clumsy, inappropriate and inaccurate collection, including allegations received from newspapers and unreliable and irrelevant websites or sources known for spreading false and biased news or based on fake news published by terrorist and hostile organisations.”