Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-25-Speech-4-219"
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"en.20071025.30.4-219"2
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"Mr President, first of all, we in the Commission welcome this new joint motion for a resolution by the European Parliament.
I can tell you that we have all repeatedly expressed our great concerns about the human rights situation in Iran – I, myself, very recently during the UN General Assembly, on the margins of which I met the Iranian Foreign Minister, where, again, I very strongly emphasised all the facts that are there.
I must say that the respect for basic human rights in Iran has continued to deteriorate seriously over the past year and, for this reason, we will also support the new UN General Assembly resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, as we do each year, which Canada is likely to table.
There is a continuous clampdown on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and political dissent. There have been new cases of torture and executions of people who were minors at the time of the alleged crime. There has also been an increasing number of public executions, as Mr Romeva i Rueda said, including in one case through stoning, despite assurances by the Iranian side that stoning was forbidden under existing decrees. I also very specifically mentioned this case when I met the Iranian Foreign Minister. Iran has carried out at least 250 executions so far this year – the second highest number of executions worldwide.
We also note, of course, the continuous discrimination against minorities, increasing harassment and the closure of independent non-governmental organisations. The documented intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders from all sectors of Iranian society has grown, as has the repression of intellectuals, teachers, students, women activists and trade unions. Only recently, one of Iran’s best-known human rights defenders, Mr Emaddedin Baghi, was once again imprisoned under the charge of propaganda against the Government. And, since July, Mr Mansour Osanlou, President of the Iranian Bus Drivers’ Union and the embodiment of an independent trade union movement in Iran, has been under arrest. Mr Osanlou is in need of urgent medical treatment, which, we have reason to believe, he has still not received.
But we are not remaining silent about such developments. We have taken numerous steps and repeatedly issued public statements denouncing the ongoing violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Iran, as well as the country’s persistent failure to uphold international standards on the administration of justice. Once more, I call upon the Iranian Government to fully respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with Iran’s obligations under international law and the conventions it has ratified.
I would also like to reiterate our concern about Iran’s refusal to resume the bilateral dialogue on human rights it suspended in 2004, which the European Union continues to ask for. For our part, we remain ready to do so, as we believe in the importance of such a dialogue and engagement.
In conclusion, the Commission is, speaking quite unequivocally, in full agreement with Parliament, whatever the developments on the nuclear issue or on other issues of concern to the European Union. And we have this double-track approach, which, at this moment, Javier Solana and his new counterpart are working on, and, at the same time, we are also working in the United Nations Security Council with regard to maybe a further strengthening of sanctions. At this moment, there can be no real progress in the relationship with Iran without a serious improvement in the human rights situation."@en1
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