{"id":633,"date":"2014-09-17T18:01:30","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T18:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/?p=633"},"modified":"2014-09-17T18:01:41","modified_gmt":"2014-09-17T18:01:41","slug":"as-rouhani-comes-to-ny-domestic-repression-in-iran-remains-unabated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/?p=633","title":{"rendered":"As Rouhani Comes to NY, Domestic Repression in Iran Remains Unabated"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"New Video<\/a> Shows Gap between Rouhani\u2019s Rhetoric and Reality on the Ground in Iran
\nSeptember 17, 2014 – Ahead of President Rouhani\u2019s visit to New York next week, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran released a video today, bringing into sharp focus the disconnect between Rouhani\u2019s rhetoric on domestic affairs and the reality on the ground.<\/p>\n

The Campaign urges diplomats, the international media, and experts who will meet Rouhani during his visit to express their serious concerns regarding Iran\u2019s continued abysmal human rights record.
\nThe video, Rhetoric and Reality: One Year of Rouhani\u2019s Presidency, contrasts Rouhani\u2019s many pledges to usher in a new era in which the fundamental rights of Iranians would be protected, with the repression that remains firmly in place in Iran, more than one year after Rouhani assumed office.
\nThe record of the past year speaks for itself. The number of executions continues to distinguish Iran as the highest state executioner in the world on a per capita basis. Freedom of expression, assembly, and association remain highly restricted. Iran remains the second largest prison for journalists in the world. Gender policies aiming to exclude women from public life, particularly in higher education and employment, have increased. Hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars, many imprisoned following the disputed 2009 election. The extra-judicial house arrest of the 2009 presidential candidates, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, together with Mousavi\u2019s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, is nearing its fourth year.
\nMany are hoping for a release of prisoners of conscience held in Iran, ahead of Rouhani\u2019s New York trip. \u201cThis would be an absolute minimal gesture\u201d said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign\u2019s Executive Director, \u201cas scores of political prisoners, human rights defenders, and journalists continue to languish in Iranian jails or under house arrest.\u201d
\n\u201cRouhani states, \u2018I have not forgotten anything; I am standing by all my positions.\u2019 But the people of Iran need more than words; they need action,\u201d continued Ghaemi.
\nThe international community\u2019s deep concerns over the state of human rights in Iran were reflected in the UN Secretary General\u2019s latest report on Iran. “President Rouhani has pledged to decrease restrictions on freedom of expression and to ensure security for the press,” Ban Ki Moon\u2019s report states. “Unfortunately, those promises have not yet led to significant improvements, and restrictions on freedom of expression continue to affect many areas of life.”
\nThe report also noted the increase in the application of the death penalty, including in relation to political prisoners and juvenile offenders, the arbitrary detention and prosecution of journalists, human rights defenders, and women rights activists, the continued discrimination against and persecution of minority groups, and a lack of promised improvement in gender equality, media freedom, and online restrictions.
\nAccording to Iran\u2019s constitution the president is responsible for upholding the law and making sure all other branches and institutions, even those not under the executive branch, respect the constitution. He can issue notices and warn human rights violators of their wrongdoings. So far, Rouhani has chosen not to use his full authority to challenge such violations.
\n\u201cRouhani states, \u2018We want change and transformation.\u2019 But change does not fall from the sky. He must show leadership and enact change. He may claim that as President he has limited authority, but he has not yet exhausted all his powers,\u201d said Ghaemi.
\n\u201cRouhani has put all his eggs in the foreign policy basket, but that has also made him vulnerable. Opponents of his foreign policy are emboldened by their ability to perpetuate domestic repression and will sooner or later undermine his foreign policy too,\u201d Ghaemi added.<\/p>\n

Follow the\u00a0Campaign on Facebook and Twitter
\nFor the latest human rights developments in Iran visit the Campaign\u2019s website
\nFor interviews, contact Hadi Ghaemi at +1-917-669-5996<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Video Shows Gap between Rouhani\u2019s Rhetoric and Reality on the Ground in Iran September 17, 2014 – Ahead of President Rouhani\u2019s visit to New York next week, the International<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[113,160],"class_list":["post-633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights","tag-hassan-rouhani","tag-president-rouhani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":634,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633\/revisions\/634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}