UN Third Committee condemns serious violations of human rights in Iran
- Rajavi: Two decades of flagrant and unabated violations of human rights makes Security Council's intervention and boycott of mullahs' regime inevitable

The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted last night a resolution on the "serious violations of human rights" in Iran, condemning "executions," "cases of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sentences of stoning and amputation," "failure to meet international standards in the administration of justice," the "sentencing to death and arrests" of and "discrimination against religious minorities."

The Third Committee also made explicit expressions of concern over "arbitrary closure of publications, widely reported cases of harassment and persecuton of persons, including writers and members of the press," "continuing threats to the life of Salman Rushdie, including the increase announced in bounty," "the lack of full and equal enjoyment by women of their human rights," and "discrimination in law and practice against women." The resolution also deplores the clerical regime's prevention of a visit to Iran by the Human Rights Commission's Special Representative.

Noting that this is the 43rd such resolution by a United Nations body condemning the violations of human rights by the mullahs' regime, Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, emphasized the need for referring this case to the UN Security Council for the adoption of binding decisions against the clerical regime. He said: A decisive response to two decades of executions, torture, religious discrimination, gender apartheid, export of terrorism and breach of international law by the mullahs' religious, terrorist dictatorship, tests the United Nations' devotion to the realization of the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 50 years after its adoption.

Mr. Rajavi added: The UNHRC Special Representative's explicit remarks on the "slipping backwards" of human rights conditions in Iran, as well as the substantial articles of the present resolution --despite some unrealistic and unnecessary welcomes to the mullahs and despite many deficiencies in referring to the crimes of the clerical regime-- clearly show that 1.5 years after Khatami's taking office, nothing has changed in the mullahs' illegitimate regime as far as social repression and suppressive methods are concerned. All factions in this regime depend on the trampling of the most fundamental human rights of the people of Iran in order to survive, the NCR President stressed.

Mr. Rajavi also applauded the efforts of all parties who endeavored for the adoption of a strong resolution against the Iranian regime during this General Assembly session and opposed all collusions with the mullahs' theocratic regime. He emphasized: The experience of the past year indicates that offering economic and political concessions to the medieval regime ruling Iran, will not encourage it towards "moderation," but will only embolden it in its suppressive and terrorist policies. Tying hopes to bogus changes by Khatami and welcoming them only prolong the Iranian people's pain and suffering.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
November 19, 1998

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