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Iranian President Hassan Rohani’s promises of greater freedoms for the Islamic Republic have not resulted in any major improvements regarding human rights and freedom of expression, the UN chief said in a new report on Iran. |
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s annual report to the General Assembly on human rights in Iran, obtained by Reuters on Friday, also expressed alarm at the reported recent increase in executions in Iran.
“President Rohani has pledged to decrease restrictions on freedom of expression and to ensure security for the press,” the report said. “Unfortunately, those promises have not yet led to significant improvements, and restrictions on freedom of expression continue to affect many areas of life.”
“Journalists and other media personnel are frequently summoned or detained by the judiciary or face harassment and attacks by security forces,” the report said.
Rohani promised in April that religious and ethnic minorities “must feel justice”. Also in April, the head of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights said members of the Baha’i community, which has been persecuted, were entitled to the same rights as all Iranian citizens.
“However, discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities reportedly persists both in law and in practice,” the report said. “Baha’is remain barred from access to higher education and government employment; they also continue to experience governmental interference in private employment.”
Another promise Rohani has not delivered on is related to Internet censorship, the report said. In remarks earlier this year that challenged hardliners, Rohani said Iran should embrace the Internet rather than viewing it as a threat.
“However, the Secretary General deplores the fact that it appears that these words have not yet been translated into practical measures and that the judiciary has ordered the blocking of many social media platforms and websites,” it said.
“It is noteworthy that, while such sites as Twitter and Facebook are blocked for most Iranians, the leadership increasingly uses social media to broadcast messages.”
