Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights has participated in the eighth session of the forum on Minority Issues that was focus on “Minorities in the Criminal Justice System” and held in the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 24-25 of November 2015.
The Forum was considered practical and concrete measures to prevent and address manifestations of, and possible reasons leading to discriminatory mechanism in patterns in all stages of the criminal justice system, which impair enjoyment of the fundamental rights of minority individuals or groups.
Joshua Castlino and Rita Izsac the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues chaired the meeting and four agenda were discussed during two days meeting that are as follows:
Agenda item 2 – Legal framework and key concepts
Agenda item 3 – Minorities and the exercise of police power
Agenda item 4 – Challenges of criminal justice systems in addressing the needs and demands of minorities
Agenda item 5 – addressing the root causes of discrimination in the administration of justice
Mr Faisal Maramazi the executive director of Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) represented the Centre in UN and gave speech about agenda item 3 on 24 November 2015.
Mr Maramazi said that “The Al-Ahwaz are Arab land that lies beneath the Iranian occupation since nine decades, and suffer the scourge of the Iranian injustice that has become deliberately uses all methods of oppression and persecution on the Ahwazi Arabs.”
“About thousand of Ahwazi Arab people have been arrested because of their support for non-Persian football team, and the Iranian police has practiced the worst kind of torture on them,” Mr Maramazi added.
He pointed out about the pollution in the Al-Ahwaz, who became threatens the future of Ahwazi Arab people. He stressed that this pollution was caused by the deliberate policies of the Iranian state, which distorted the course of the Ahwazi Rivers and burning sugar cane and prevent agriculture and so on.
The meeting was carried out on Wednesday 25 of November 15 and agenda number 4 and 5 were discussed where Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights has participated in agenda 5.
Mr Faisal Maramazi said” Iran is a multi nations and minorities, including the Ahwazi Arab people where the Iranian police and the judiciary deal does not meets with international standards and Laws.”
The Iranian judiciary will help in the suppression of political movements of the people especially for the Ahwaz Arabs and minorities in cooperation with the security agencies and intelligence services in particular in regards to executions Mr Maramazi added.
Mentioning the violence Mr Maramazi said the Iranian police exercised excessive violence against Ahwazi Arabs especially during peaceful protests, where on the ninth of November an Ahwazi young named Ali Jalali, aged 17 years was shot dead by the Iranian police officer during a raid to popular cafes and restaurants in the Al Nahda neighbourhood in Ahwaz capital.
Finally Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights demands from the council of human right in UN to raise the right of self-determination for Ahwazi Arab people and also the Iranian government is committed to as a party on Civil and Political Rights and respect for freedom of expression in accordance with Article nineteen and freedom of peaceful assembly in accordance with the International Covenant Article Twenty-one and also called for allowing the Ahwazi Arabs to use their mother tongue in courts and police stations to ensure their rights and are not subjected to discrimination.
To view agenda item 3 video please click HERE
To view agenda item 5 video please click HERE
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
02-12-2015
