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GENEVA - The United Nations human rights investigator for Iran on Thursday called on the Iranian government to bring to trial the perpetrators of recent murders of dissidents and intellectuals.
Maurice Copithorne, a Canadian jurist in the independent post since 1995, was addressing the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and later spoke to a news conference.
Copithorne told the Commission that neither the names of the accused nor plans for any trials had been announced.
"Clearly, more must be done
by the government to clarify the situation and in particular to bring people
to trial for these dreadful acts," he declared.
Minorities, Women Still Face Rights Abuses in Iran, U.N. Expert Says, Associated Press, April 1
GENEVA - Iran should remain under special scrutiny at the U.N. Human Rights Commission for at least another year because improvements are not big enough, said Maurice Danby Copithorne, the U.N. special investigator on Iran.
Copithorne, a Canadian lawyer, cited the murder of five dissident writers at the end of last year as an example of "unanswered questions" about the regime.
He urged the Iranian government to speed up prosecutions of those suspected of the murders, including intelligence ministry officials.
Copithorne spoke to journalists before presenting his report on Iran to the 53-nation human rights commission. His 26-page report said that minority groups like members of the Baha'i faith and women continued to suffer violations.
The Iranian government didn't invite Copithorne to visit the country as it is angered that it remains under special scrutiny.
The report was compiled from
discussions with the authorities and other groups in the United States
and Geneva.
Iranians Urge France to Condemn Violations Of Human Rights Under Khatami in Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, April 1
Iranians residing in Washington metropolitan area staged a gathering in front of the French Embassy on Thursday to express their protest against the crimes of Khatami, the President of mullahs ruling Iran. They expressed their outrage toward the continued violations of human rights in Iran.
In a resolution, the Iranian protesters emphasized that all forms of political, diplomatic and economic trade and exchange with the theocratic regime ruling Iran are absolutely illegitimate.
Carrying placards against Khatami and other leaders of the regime, the Iranian protesters highlighted the record of the clerical regime’s crimes during Khatami’s tenure, including 340 executions, 9 cases of stoning and 28 assassinations abroad.
They urged the government
of France to adopt a correct policy in support of the National Council
of Resistance and its President-elect Maryam Rajavi, instead of tying its
policy to the destiny of the murderers of the people of Iran.
Regime Confesses to Failure of Khatami's Trip To Italy,Iran Zamin News Agency, March 30
On the eve of Mohammad Khatami's visit to Italy, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said in an interview that one of the trip's objectives was to "put an end to the activities of terrorist groups" in the West in general and Italy in particular.
As Khatami began his visit, Salaam newspaper wrote: "With Khatami's trip to Italy and his future visit to France, the Mojahedin will become increasingly weakened in Europe and this process will speed up."
With the visit now over, the situation is completely the reverse! Khatami's predecessor Hashemi Rafsanjani said in Tehran's Friday prayers:" Giving permission to an anti-regime group for insulting our president was an unacceptable act." As the Parisian daily, Liberation, noted Rafsanjani's scathing rebuke was directed more pointedly at Khatami himself, rather than the Italian government.
Interestingly, Khatami himself has remained completely silent, another clear indication of his more weakened position in the wake of the trip.