SSU lecture and Iran’s Human Rights Report to United Nations
Yesterday I held a lecture about the Iranian Kurdistan for members of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth (SSU) in Stockholm. SSU is currently organizing a series of lectures about the different parts of Kurdistan and I was invited to speak about the Kurds in Iran – with focus on methods of struggle, future opportunities and the latest developments in Iran and Kurdistan. It was a very interesting lecture with many interesting questions and opinions.
Today I am travelling to Geneva to attend the 7th Session of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review Working Group, Iran have submitted its Human Rights Report (read here), which will be reviewed during this session. I will, together with two other members of the PDKI’s leadership, Dr. Miro Aliyar and Abdullah Hicab, represent the Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan. Representatives of other nationalities in Iran (Azerbaijan, Balouchistan and Ahwaz) will also be present. Something noteworthy is that out of the 66 individuals currently on death row in Iran, 53 are from Ahwaz, Kurdistan (21 of the 53 are from Kurdistan) and Balochistan.
We will hold meetings with representatives of several Permanent Delegations, Netherlands, Chile, Nigeria, US, Canada, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Bangladesh, France, Greece, Turkey and Bahrain, to attempt to persuade them to putt more pressure on Iran during the review of their Human Rights Report. Our first meeting is with John W. Limbert, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran in State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which I look forward to.
We will also take part in several side events, with the help of the UNPO.
On Friday the 12th of February I will, Dr Alireza Nazmi, Mr. Nasser Boladai and Mr. Adnan Torfi speak about religious Discrimination, representation in political bodies, economic discrimination and expropriation of land, arbitrary arrest, torture, judicial procedure, and execution, Linguistic and cultural discrimination and the media, and Violations of the right to Freedom of Assembly. Representatives of several states have said they will attend and it is likely that an Iranian delegation will be present.
We will also take part in a large demonstration organized to shed more light on the Human Rights situation in Iran, taking place in the Place des Nations, on Monday the 15th of February. Please attend and and show your support if you are nearby .
