http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?objRefId=131202&language=IT
The European Parliament,
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having regard to the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Resolution 217 A (III). the International Coventions on Human Rights and other human rights instruments,
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reaffirming that Iran has an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfil the obligations it has undertaken under the various international instruments in this field,
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recalling that the right to self-determination - as enshrined in the UN Charter - can be respected and implemented without any threat of secession if the internal legal system is able to guarantee and protect the most basic economic, cultural, civil, and political rights of every individual,
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mindful that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a party to the International Covention on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
A. expressing deep concern:
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at the deterioration of the situation with regard to freedom of opinion and expression, in particular at restrictions on freedom of the press, judiciary suspension of numerous newspapers, censorship of publications and the arrest of journalists, political activists and intellectuals on the basis of laws related to national security, which are used as a pretext to deny or restrict freedom of expression, opinion and thought,
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at the continuing violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular executions, in the apparent absence of respect for internationally recognized safeguards, and cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,
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at the failure to comply fully with international standards in the administration of justice, the absence of guarantees of due process of law and the absence of respect for internationally recognized legal safeguards, including against persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities,
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at the discrimination against persons belonging to religious or ethnic minorities, in particular the unabated pattern of persecution against the Baha'is, including the continuing detention and the sentencing to death of some of them, such as Sa'id Saki and Abdullah Al-Mansouri,
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at the continuing discrimination in law and in practice against women, who still lack full and equal enjoyment of their human rights, as reported by the Special Representative,
B. whereas the Iranian Government is increasingly barring university students from pursuing their higher education and the judiciary has prosecuted and sentenced at least 35 students to imprisonment, fines, or flogging during the past year,
C. deeply concerned by the fact that the Iranian Government barred at least 17 students from higher education in 2005-2006, despite the fact that they had passed competitive entrance exams to graduate programs, another 54 students being allowed to register only after signing commitment letters that they will refrain from peaceful political activities,
D. whereas, since July 2005, university disciplinary committees suspended at least 41 student activists for up to two semesters,
E. deeply concerned by the situation of seven prisoners of conscious under arbitrary detention,
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Keyvan Ansari, Student leader and political activist. Arrested on September 18 and is being held in solitary confinement at Tehran's Evin prison. He has not been charged and has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer,
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Keyvan Rafii, human rights activist, arrested on July 9 and is being held in solitary confinement - he has not been charged and has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer,
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Kheirollah Derakhshandi, student activist, arrested on 19 August 2006, no charges have been filed,
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Abolfazl Jahandar, internet journalist and student activist, arrested on 19 August 2006, is being held in solitary confinement, no charges have been filed,
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Koroush Zaim, member of the National Front, political activist, arrested on October 20 and is held in solitary confinement - no charges having been brought against him,
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Kianoosh Sanjari, political activist, arrested on 8 October 2006 and held in solitary confinement,
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Ayatollah Mohammad Kazimini Boroujerdi, arrested on 8 October 2006 along with about 140 of his followers - he is being held in solitary confinement,
1. Calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
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to give effect, in the near future, to its invitation to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran,
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to consolidate respect for human rights and the rule of law and to abide by its freely undertaken obligations under the International Coventions on Human Rights and under other international human rights instruments,
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to make efforts to ensure the full application of due process of law and fair and transparent procedures by the judiciary and, in this context, to ensure the respect for the rights of the defence and the equity of the verdicts in all instances, including for members of religious and ethnic minority groups,
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to ensure that capital punishment will not be enforced for crimes other than the most serious and will not be pronounced in disregard of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and United Nations safeguards and to provide the Special Representative with relevant statistics on this matter,
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to accelerate the process of the investigation into the suspicious deaths and killings of intellectuals and political activists and to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice,
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to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on religious or ethnic grounds or against persons belonging to minorities, such as Kurds, Azeri, Arabs and Baluchi,
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to take all necessary steps to end the use of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in particular the practice of amputation,
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to liberalise attitudes to gay rights,
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to take further measures to promote full and equal enjoyment by women of their human rights;
2. Calls for the release of: Keyvan Ansari, Keyvan Rafii, Kheirollah Derakhshandi, Abolfazl Jahandar, Koroush Zaim, Kianoosh Sanjari and Ayatollah Mohammad Kazimini Boroujerdi;
3. Calls for the end of persecution of members of the Bahaii community;
4. Calls on the Iranian Government to stop barring university students from pursuing their higher education because of their peaceful political activities;
5. Calls on the Commission to implement all actions that are to be taken in the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in order to intensify contacts and cooperation with Iran’s civil society, its independent media, and its democratic opposition, and furthermore to support, together with the European Parliament, democracy and respect for human rights in Iran;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, to the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to the UN Secretary General
