Let ex-President run, UN Human Rights Committee demands of Maldives

Let ex-President run, UN Human Rights Committee demands of Maldives

GENEVA (16 April, 2018) – Maldives must restore ex-President Mohamed Nasheed’s right to stand for office, including the office of President, the UN Human Rights Committee concluded in a finding made public today. The finding of violations of human rights was made in response to two individual complaints by Mr. Nasheed filed in 2013 and 2016.    

The full decision is available here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CCPR%2fC%2f122%2fD%2f2270%2f2013&Lang=en

Mr. Nasheed, first brought to a Maldivian court in 2012, was ultimately charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment in March 2015.  As a result, he was disqualified from running in presidential elections for 16 years -- the term of his sentence plus an additional three years.

The UN human rights experts found that the judicial proceedings in which Mr. Nasheed was convicted were based on vague legislation, contained serious flaws and violated his right to a fair trial under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 

The Committee also found that the resulting restrictions on Mr. Nasheed’s right to stand for office violated his rights to political participation under article 25 of the ICCPR. “Political rights can be suspended or restricted only in exceptional circumstances and under certain conditions. And judicial proceedings that violate the right to fair trial can render the resulting restriction of political rights arbitrary,” said Sarah Cleveland, member of the UN Human Rights Committee. 

The Human Rights Committee oversees implementation by States parties of the ICCPR.  Mr. Nasheed was able to make a complaint to the Human Rights Committee because the State Party in question, Maldives, is also a party to the Optional Protocol to that Covenant.

The Committee’s decision of 4 April, which was made public today, further directs Maldives to “quash the author’s conviction, review the charges against him taking into account the present Views, and, if appropriate, conduct a new trial ensuring all fair trial guarantees.”

“As a party to the ICCPR, Maldives is obliged to make full reparation to individuals whose rights have been violated. We have asked Maldives to inform us within 180 days about the measures they have taken to implement our decision,” said Mr. Yuval Shany, Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Committee.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Julia Gronnevet at +41 (0) 22 917 9310 jgronnevet@ohchr.org

Useful links:

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Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Human Rights Committee individual complaints procedure

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IRANUPDATE

IRANUPDATE

Volume 6, Issue 5 |  April 17, 2018

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Spotlight

A message from CHRI's Executive Director Hadi Ghaemi

Iranian officials recently indicated they will soon block the Telegram messaging app used by over 40 million Iranians to communicate, share news and do business. This decision, if implemented, will demonstrate that the Iranian authorities’ willingness to tolerate foreign-based apps that do not conform to Iranian state censorship and which they cannot control is coming to an end. Domestic apps that the authorities posit as alternatives deeply compromise Iranians’ privacy and access to information. This intensifying state censorship, surveillance and repression mean that the Iranian people’s rights to information, online security and freedom of expression will be further eroded. The monitoring and condemnation of Iran’s aggressive violations of these basic rights and freedoms are becoming a more urgent international imperative, as is the need to make the full range of personal communications tools and services—including censorship circumvention tools—available to the people of Iran.

Follow Hadi on Twitter: @HadiGhaemi

                                           

 Items of Note

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Reuters: Water Crisis Spurs Protests in Iran

The recent protests in Iran were due in part to a growing water crisis. “Towns and villages around Isfahan have been hit so hard by drought and water diversion that they have emptied out and people who lived there have moved,” said Hadi Ghaemi. "...And people close to Rouhani told me the government didn’t even know such a situation existed and there were so many grievances.”

Deutsche Welle: German MPs Call Out Iran's Rights Violations Amid Nuclear Deal Tension

Donald Trump's nuclear deal threat distracts attention from the Iranian government's dire human rights record, say German lawmakers. "The reality is that human rights have deteriorated significantly in Iran," said CHRI board member Nazanin Boniadi.

Press Releases

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Imprisoned Rights Defender Narges Mohammadi Gives Message of Hope and Strength in Accepting 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize
April 15, 2018 — Prisoner of conscience Narges Mohammadi was unable to accept the 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize in person in Columbus, Ohio but she sent a message of hope and strength in a powerful speech.

Iranian American Groups Urge Trump Admin to Investigate “Targeting” of Civil Servant Sahar Nowrouzzadeh
March 22, 2018–Seven Iranian American organizations have called on the Trump admin to investigate credible allegations that career government employee Sahar Nowrouzzadeh was demoted from a top advisory position due to discrimination.

Articles

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Iranian Education Minister Issues Stern Warning Against UN 2030 Agenda
“In every meeting with senior education officials I have emphasized that not only should the Education 2030 Framework for Action be rejected but students should also not be taught any subject related to this document,” said Education Minister Mohammad Bathaei on April 11, 2018.


Iranian Supreme Court Upholds “Unjust” Death Sentence Against Kurdish Activist
The Supreme Court of Iran failed to fully consider the defense’ arguments before it upheld the death sentence against Iranian Kurdish political rights activist Ramin Hossein Panahi, his lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).


Teachers’ Rights Advocate Writes Scathing Letter From Prison on Revolutionary Iran’s Failed Promises
Prominent teachers’ rights advocate Esmail Abdi has written a letter from Evin Prison strongly criticizing Iranian officials’ for their failure to uphold the promises of the country’s 1979 revolution.He is demanding to be tried in a public court with a jury and to be granted furlough.


Iran’s Expediency Council Dragging Its Feet Over Fate of Religious Minority Candidates in Local Elections
Six months have passed and the Iranian government has still not resolved the dispute over the suspension of a Yazd City Council member, Sepanta Niknam, due to his Zoroastrian faith. “I think they want this issue to go away and be forgotten with the passage of time,” said his uncle.


Swedish Resident Who Tried to March Through Iran With Monarchist Flag Facing National Security Charges
“When he crossed onto Iranian soil he was detained by border guards for carrying the lion and sun flag and released a few days later,” said a source. “But it seems the Intelligence Ministry caught wind and arrested him on March 7 and sent him to prison in Tabriz .”


Iranian State Hackers Launched Attacks on Same Day Supreme Leader Issued Fatwa Forbidding Privacy Violations
On the same day that Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious ruling ordering the state to refrain from “violating the people’s security and domestic space,” state hackers used malware to access private user information.


Iranian Political Prisoner Urges “Contentious People” To Be the Voice of His Imprisoned Wife
“I call on all awakened, conscientious people to be the voices of Golrokh and Atena’s [Daemi’s] innocence before another tragedy takes place in the aftermath of forced suicides in the prisons,” wrote Arash Sadeghi in an open letter from Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj.


Supreme Leaders Uses Fatwa to Silence Widespread Distrust of Domestic Apps
Following a flurry of public criticism of domestically made messaging apps, Iran’s supreme leader has issued a fatwa calling on the government and the Judiciary to protect citizens’ personal privacy rights. “Violating the people’s security and domestic space is religiously haram [forbidden] and should not take place.”


Rouhani Admin Facing Backlash Over Plan to Give 100 Vetted Journalists Uncensored Internet Access
Iranian journalists and editors working for various news publications in Iran have strongly criticized the government’s decision to grant what has been described as uncensored internet access exclusively to 100 “approved” members of their profession.

Inaccessible Louvre Exhibit Highlights Ongoing Challenges For Persons Living With Disabilities in Iran
A popular exhibition by the Louvre Museum in Paris at the National Museum of Iran has come under criticism because it is inaccessible to people living with disabilities. Exactly why the ramp and the exhibit are inaccessible to persons with disabilities is unclear.

Hundreds Arrested as Anger Over State Discrimination Against Arabs Spills Into the Streets
At least 200 people were arrested after a week of demonstrations in Iran’s mainly Arab-populated Khuzestan Province. On April 6, 2018, the Friday prayer leader of the flashpoint city of Ahvaz requested an apology from Iranian state TV, which inadvertently ignited the protests.



Iran Poised to Block Popular Telegram Messaging App But Lacks Feasible Alternative
After months of unsuccessful attempts by Iranian officials to convince the Telegram encrypted messaging app to comply with domestic censorship policies, Iranian officials are now openly discussing blocking the widely used social media network.

Iran’s Categorization of Autism As a “Special Disease” Is a Double-Edged Sword for Persons With Disabilities

The Iranian Parliament’s recognition of autism as a “special disease” will have positive and negative consequences for persons living with the disability in Iran. “The budget allocation is only for medical and pharmaceutical needs for special diseases. Therefore, this is ultimately a costly label.”

41 Tehran University Students Facing Prosecution For Participating in December 2017 Protests
The Iranian Judiciary has opened cases against 41 students of Tehran University who allegedly participated in protests in the capital city in January 2018, the university’s Deputy Chancellor for Cultural Affairs Majid Sarsangi announced on March 1, 2018.


Metal Band Member Sentenced to Six Years Prison in Iran Accused of Creating “Satanic Music”

“The interrogators had translated my English lyrics [into Farsi] verse by verse and were asking questions about this and that word and told me I was a Satan worshipper and didn’t believe in God,” Nikan Khosravi of "Confession" told CHRI. “They really thought I was a bad person."

Iran Cracks Down on Kurdish Activists After Anti-State Protests

Iran’s FATA cyber police and the Intelligence Ministry have summoned rights activists in mainly Kurdish-populated provinces of the country and accused them of protesting against the state. Some of the activists are now facing national security charges.

Christian Property in Iran to Be Taken Over by Supreme Leader’s Organization

A valuable property near Tehran confiscated from Iran’s largest Christian Protestant organization by a group controlled by the supreme leader was hit with an eviction order on March 7. “This action is part of the pressure put on individuals with different beliefs and religious minorities in Iran,” said a spokesman for the UK-based Article 18.

Second Iranian Woman Sentenced to Prison for Protesting Mandatory Hijab
Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the “Girls of Revolution Street” protesting against mandatory hijab for women in Iran, was sentenced to a year in prison on March 25, 2018, by Branch 1091 of the Tehran Criminal Court for “encouraging corruption by removing her hijab,” her lawyer informed CHRI.

Attorney Blocked From Taking on Human Rights Cases in Iran Calls For Revision of “Flawed” Law
A lawyer representing the family of an Iranian Canadian academic who recently died in an Iranian prison has joined the growing list of attorneys in Iran who have criticized the judiciary’s decision to force citizens held on politically motivated charges to pick their lawyer from a list.

Iranian Environmentalists Remain Detained Months After Arrests While Families Seek Answers
Seven environmentalists who were arrested in Tehran nearly two months ago remain in detention with no or extremely limited access to legal counsel while their families are being kept in the dark about any charges against them.

Iran HumanRights
Center for Human Rights in Iran
137 Montague Street #384
New York, NY 11201

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PUBLISHED BY

 ANJAN K SAMAL 

TO PREACH HUMAN RIGHT FOR ALL IRRESPECTIVE OF CASTE, CREED, RELIGION AND REGION ACROSS THE GLOBE. 

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• “Bio-medical Waste Management Rules Amended to Protect Human Health”: Dr. Harsh Vardhan
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Published by Anjan Kumar Samal
FOR 

THE ASIAN CHRONICLE & RASHTRIYA AAWAZ

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MY PAST AND PRESENT WILL MEASURE THE ROAD AHEAD AT PRESENT

China: Two journalists lose People’s Congress accreditation over ‘eye roll’

MEDIA RELEASE: CHINA Download press release as PDF HERE March 19, 2018

China: Two journalists lose People’s Congress accreditation over ‘eye roll’ Credit: Screenshot The Guardian As China holds its annual political meetings, the media has come under intense scrutiny, with two journalists having their press accreditation for the meetings revoked.   On March 13, Zhang Huijun, the operating director of LA-based American Multimedia Television USA put several questions to Xiao Yaqinge, the Director of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission during a press conference. During the questions, Liang Xiangyi, a journalist with Yicai financial news outlet from Shanghai was filmed rolling her eyes and making several facial expressions. The footage was captured by CCTV and immediately broadcast, including online. The footage sparked debate online, with some accusing Liang of not respecting the event, while other welcomed her expressions. Social media was flooded with posts and memes of the eye-rolling footage, but the Chinese ‘censors’ quickly sprang the action, and according to several reports the authorities had warned Chinese journalists to ‘close their eyes to the eye roll’. In a directive issued to the media, it said: “Urgent notice: all media personnel are prohibited from discussing the Two Sessions blue-clothed reporter incident on social media. Anything already posted must be deleted. Without exception, websites must not hype the episode.” Many social media users also highlighted the link between Zhang’s employer American Multimedia Television USA and the Chinese state broadcaster. Also highlighted was the boss of American Multimedia Television, Jason Quin, who also lists himself as the President of the Confucius Institute of Education. The links were pointed out, as media outlets with ties to the Chinese government are often the ones chosen to ask questions at the National People’s Congress. The following day, the office organising the National Congress issued a notice that it was revoking the press accreditation to both Zhang and Liang to enter the City Hall. The IFJ Asia Pacific Office said: “The actions by the organising committee to revoke the press accreditation of two journalists due to a response on social media, is a complete overreaction and shows the excessive measures that the government will go to maintain its orchestrated message and control over information.” The IFJ calls on the All China Journalists Association to investigate the circumstances around the revoked accreditation, and fight for the rights of journalists. Share Tweet Share For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950 The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries  Follow the IFJ Asia Pacific: Facebook Twitter Website

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