December 10th was the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris. After World War II, with tens of millions dead, it was time that the international community would recognize and endorse the fundamental human rights. In fact, by adopting the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UNGA wanted to guarantee the rights of all people in case of any coming war, occupation and most important of all, in the behavior of the governments towards their own people.
Thereupon, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone in the history of human rights. It is drafted by representatives of different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world. UDHR is also recognized as a common standard of achievements for all and every nation.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of 30 articles:
Article 1 states:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
According to Article 3:
Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
We also read in Article 5:
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 9 of this universal declaration emphasizes:
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.
And Article 19 affirms:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
But, all this is more like a dream for the Iranian people.
In Iran, workers, truckers, teachers, merchants, and, in summary, no stratum of society has the right to establish and organize its own association independent of the government. And any attempt to achieve these basic rights will lead to arrest, detention, and torture, as we have witnessed the arrest of truckers and teachers during the recent months. As the last instance, we have witnessed the arrest of Mr. Ismail Bakhshi, the spokesman of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory workers who were on strike.
In Iran, thinkers and authors are not able to express their thoughts and present their writings freely, and if they evince their thoughts out of regime’s framework, they will be faced with a ban, isolation, imprisonment and Chain Murders.
As an example, a few months ago, we witnessed the arrest of environmental activists by the regime on false charges. One of them, Kavous Sayed Emami was killed under torture in prison.
In the reactionary concepts of the mullahs ruling Iran, women’s right is half the men’s. The men, in turn, are not truly entitled to human rights themselves and many of their social rights are violated.
In Iran, you may be imprisoned, you can even be executed without providing a convincing reason for it. In fact, what is happening in Iran is very far from the concept of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But there is still hope for the Iranian people, the ten-point plan which Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has presented. In article seven it states:
“The Iran of tomorrow is a country which respects human rights. We are committed to the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights, and international covenants and conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.”
This means the realization of all that has never existed in Iran.
