The Main Shortcomings of the Non-Governmental Organizations Bill Arseh Sevom – In 2010, Arseh Sevom published a report on the Non-Governmental Organizations Bill, Legalizing the Murder of Civil Society (pdf), which has been in and out of committee for more than five years (click here for more information). Several years after it was originally presented [...]
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Arseh Sevom and United4Iran urge you to send letters protesting discriminatory laws. Click here to join the campaign.
The UN Secretary General, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, the UN General Assembly, and the UN Human Rights Council have repeatedly called on Iran to revise its penal code to adhere to international human rights standards. In February 2010, the Iranian government accepted specific recommendations made under its Universal Periodic Review to ensure that its laws were in conformity with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which it is a party.
Nonetheless, today, Iran’s parliament is preparing to pass the “Islamic Penal Bill” – legislation that flouts its legal obligations under the ICCPR. The legislation endangers free expression and reinforces laws that violate the rights of Iranian citizens. The bill fails to prohibit stoning, lashing, and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading punishments; redress discriminatory laws; or, raise the age of majority for girls and boys. In a particularly worrisome clause, the bill expands punishment for “actions against national security”, a charge that has routinely been used to persecute dissidents.
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In Arseh Sevom’s first ever newsletter (online here), we looked back at some of the highlights from the pages of our website. Those included:
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Arseh Sevom in the news during the month of April:
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Legalizing the Murder of Civil Society looks at a bill coming up for a vote on the floor of Iran’s parliament that would completely change the legal procedures for registering and operating civil society organizations. Arseh Sevom is releasing a paper analyzing the impact of the proposed law. This bill,The Establishment and Supervision of NGOs, if ratified and executed as written, would mean the end of legally operating, independent civil society in Iran.
Essentially, it would set up an extralegal committee that would have the power both to issue permits for civil society organizations and to revoke those permits.
It seems that the discussion and vote on this bill is timed to precede the appointment of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly in Iran (March 2011). (Read More)
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