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Mansureh Behkish was summoned for investigation in Ministry of Information !

Mansureh's 6 members of family have been executed during a mass execution of political prisoners in Iran.

On Monday morning Aug. 24, my cell phone rang and a man whose name was Salehi was speaking.He asked me for some investigation & explanation to attened in ministry of Information in Saba Street. When i asked the reason for summoning me ; he said it is about "Khavaran" ( mass grave of political prisoners -murdered in September 1988), said Mansureh Behkish.

Mansureh's full letter content will be translated and posted in Iran Watch Canada later.

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Statement by Mr Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights situation in Iran Press Conference – Oslo – 22 November 2012

Good afternoon.

Statement by Mr Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights situation in Iran Press Conference – Oslo – 22 November 2012

Good afternoon.

I would like to first of all offer my thanks to the governments of Germany, Sweden, and Norway for unconditionally accepting my request to conduct my latest fact-finding mission in their countries. The mission has been very successful, as I was able to collect a wealth of valuable information on subjects relevant to my mandate in Berlin, Stockholm, and Oslo.

Over the past twelve days, I have met and spoken with several dozen individuals of Iranian origin, human rights workers, government officials, and academic experts. I would like to thank everyone who took time to share information with me, particularly those who were able and willing to offer first-hand witness testimony related to the situation of human rights in Iran.
I have and will continue to apply rigorous standards in assessing the credibility of every individual account and piece of testimony I encounter. With that said, the credible testimonies I did receive on this trip have largely confirmed patterns I had previously encountered, and paint a very concerning picture of the human rights situation in Iran.

I speak at a time when the execution rate in Iran seems to have accelerated to an alarming pace in recent weeks and months. There are credible reports, in many cases corroborated by the government itself, that the number of executions carried out in just the past two weeks is at least 32, and possibly as high as 81. In October, the government executed 10 individuals, including Mr. Saeed Sedighi, despite impassioned calls from the international community to halt the executions in light of serious concerns regarding due process. I am extremely alarmed by this apparent spike in executions, and I reiterate my call on the government of Iran to adhere to its own international legal obligations in guaranteeing due process and ceasing the use of the capital punishment, except in cases narrowly defined as acceptable by the UN Human Rights Committee for the ICCPR.

I am troubled by the treatment of various minority groups in the country, who all too often bear the brunt of repressive policies. These include unrecognized religious minorities like the Baha’i and Yarsan, as well as recognized but increasingly suppressed religious communities like Christians and certain Sunni Muslim communities. I am also deeply concerned about ethnic minorities, including the Baluch, Kurdish, Ahwazi Arab, Turkmen, and Azerbaijani peoples, whose plights are often compounded by linguistic and cultural subjugation, in additional to political repression.

The situation for women in Iran has worsened in recent months, as new segregationist education policies have been implemented, and women’s rights activists are being harassed and sometimes arrested for various forms of free expression, including for the defense of women’s rights or for educational or cultural expression. A new bill, currently in the Parliament, would extend the age required for women to obtain the consent of a parental guardian for a passport to 40.

The situation for sexual minorities in Iran is also extremely alarming, as the government tightly controls all forms of consensual relations.

The Iranian government continues to harass, detain, and imprison human rights defenders, who are often themselves lawyers, raising serious concerns about the independence of lawyers and of the judiciary in the country. While I was pleased that the government released Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in September, I was disappointed that only days later, authorities summoned his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, to serve a prison sentence for spurious charges. Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh, another lawyer and human rights defender currently in prison, is on a hunger strike related to the authorities’ treatment of her family, and I am worried about her condition.

Of course, I am extremely troubled by reports that Mr. Sattar Beheshti, a blogger imprisoned for exercising his legitimate right to free expression, died while in custody, possibly because of injuries sustained from torture. I expect the Iranian government to conduct a comprehensive, impartial, and transparent investigation into his death, to make the methodology and results of that investigation public, and to punish anyone responsible and compensate his family appropriately. I also once again extend this call for investigations to cases dealt with by previous mandate holders, and to the events following the 2009 presidential elections. In this regard I echo the concluding observations made by the Human Rights Committee in their review of Iran last year.

Unfortunately, it appears that the space is narrowing for any independent thought or expression that

Iranian government authorities do not approve of, for any reason, in contravention of Iran’s international legal obligations and, indeed, some of its own laws.
I remain hopeful that the government of Iran will substantively engage the specific findings that I have outlined today, and in more detail in my reports, and that we can work together to reverse these trends and promote respect for human rights, freedom, and rule of law.

I would now be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Source by : Peace activists in exile
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MANSOUREH BEHKISH, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER: SENTENCED TO PRISON SOLELY BY HER LEGITIMATE ACTIVITIES AS A DEFENDER

15 MAY 2012 / By INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN

IRAN ASIA NEWS ON DEFENDERS  

Iran must revoke harsh sentences against human rights defenders

3 May 2012
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation has published a statement calling attention to the human rights crisis in Iran and, in particular, urging for authorities to drop the charges against Mourning Mothers supporter Mansoureh Behkish, who was recently sentenced to four and a half years in prison. CIVICUS is an organization dedicated to empowering various forms of civil society worldwide.
“The sentencing of Mansoureh Behkish is motivated solely by her legitimate activities as a human rights defender, and is in clear violation of Iran’s international law commitments,” says David Kode, Policy and Advocacy Officer at CIVICUS, in the statement.
The statement, released on 24 April, criticizes the Iranian government’s continuing persecution of the Mourning Mothers group. Mansoureh Behkish is only one of the many supporters of the Mourning Mothers that has faced arrest, unfair trials, and harsh prison sentences.
CIVICUS also calls for an end to the systematic persecution and prosecution of women human rights defenders, an issue that is “continuing unabated in Iran. Additionally, the statement urges Iran to release all prisoners of conscience, and end its systematic repression of the Iranian people’s civil liberties.
The full text of the statement is below:
Press Statement CIVICUS: Iran must revoke harsh sentences against human rights defenders
24 April 2012, Johannesburg.
Serious violations of the fundamental rights of women human rights defenders are continuing unabated in Iran, says CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.
In the latest instance, Mansoureh Behkish was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for her human rights work on 3 April 2012. Mansoureh was sentenced to four years for colluding against the Republic through the Mourning Mothers Group and an additional six months for instigating propaganda against the government.
The Mourning Mothers Group, of which Mansoureh is a member, campaigns against unlawful killings, arrests, torture and enforced disappearances of Iranians. The group is composed of women whose children have been murdered, detained or disappeared in Iran since June 2009, and also includes family members of victims of serious human rights violations perpetuated by the Iranian government.
Mansoureh has long been subjected to arbitrary arrest and interrogation stemming from her campaigning work against violations of the rights of Iranians. She was first arrested in August 2009 and detained and interrogated at the notorious Evin Prison for three days. She was re-arrested on 11 June 2011 and released on 8 July. Her passport was also confiscated and a travel ban imposed to prevent her carrying out legitimate human rights activities. Her trial began on 24 December 2011 and she was notified by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran of her sentencing on 4 April 2012. She is in the process of lodging an appeal against the sentence.
“The Iranian government is waging a systematic campaign to silence civil society and discourage Iranians from engaging on human rights issues,” says David Kode, Policy and Advocacy Officer at CIVICUS. “The sentencing of Mansoureh Behkish is motivated solely by her legitimate activities as a human rights defender, and is in clear violation of Iran’s international law commitments.”
Iran continues to imprison numerous human rights defenders for acts of dissent, making it one of the most difficult places for civil society to operate. Arbitrary arrests and judicial harassment resulting in harsh prison sentences for exercising basic democratic freedoms are rife. A critical mass of human rights defenders has had to flee Iran to avoid persecution.
Recently, supporters of the Mourning Mothers Group Leyla Sefollahi and Jila Karamzadeh-Makvandi were handed two-year jail terms for “acting against national security.” Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotendeh, who is widely known for her work in defending juveniles facing the death penalty and campaigning for prisoners of conscience, is herself serving an 11-year sentence for “threatening the security of the state.”
CIVICUS urges Iran to immediately and unconditionally free all prisoners of conscience, whose continued incarceration is a blight on Iran’s human rights record.
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is a global movement of civil society dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society across the world.

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For more information please contact CIVICUS: David Kode ( david.kode@civicus.org ), Policy and Advocacy Officer, CIVICUS or Kiva LaTouche( kiva.latouche@civicus.org) Communications Officer, CIVICUS Tel: +27 11 833-5959

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CIVICUS House, 24 Gwigwi Mrwebi Street, Newtown, Johannesburg, 2001, South Africa PO Box 933, Southdale, Johannesburg, 2135, South Africa tel +27 11 833-5959 | fax +27 11 833-7997 | email info@civicus.org.
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