Detention of Iranian activists slammed

A UN expert has criticized Iran for placing human rights activists in long-term detention, and called for their release.

“It is too easy for human rights defenders in Iran to find themselves condemned to 10 years or more in prison for carrying out work that is legitimate in the eyes of human rights law,” said Mary Lawlor, UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders.

“Defenders of women, of children, of prisoner rights, of labor rights, of freedom of expression, of freedom of association, of minorities, of the right to receive a fair trial and of the right not to be tortured — they all run the risk of being detained in dire conditions for long periods of time,” she added.

“All states should constantly challenge themselves to keep their human rights record spotless, so why does Iran lock up anyone who holds it to account?”

Lawlor, who is an adjunct professor of business and human rights in the School of Business of Trinity College Dublin, said medical services provided in Iranian prisons are “wholly inadequate,” and the “security, health and livelihood” of inmates is under threat.

Organized visits and telephone calls are heavily restricted, and prisoners are sometimes deliberately transferred to areas across the country away from their families, she added.

Female activists face particular risk, and the case of Narges Mohammadi is particularly concerning, Lawlor said.

Mohammadi was sentenced in May to a new two and a half years in prison, 80 lashes and two fines following alleged new offenses relating to rights campaigns she oversaw in prison. “Until all human rights defenders are released, and laws are made that specifically protect them, this grim cycle of detentions will not be broken,” Lawlor said.