WUNRN
Amnesty International
Direct Link to Report:
Amnesty International Website -
Report Summary:
30 July 2008
Iran’s government is failing in its duty to prevent discrimination and human rights abuses against its Kurdish citizens, particularly women, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.
The organization expressed fears that the repression of Kurdish Iranians, particularly human rights defenders, is intensifying.
The report cites examples of religious and cultural discrimination against the estimated 12 million Kurds who live in Iran and form around 15 per cent of the population.
It focuses on issues related to housing, education and employment. Human rights defenders and media workers are also being targeted for speaking out.
“Iran’s constitution provides for equality of all Iranians before the law. But, as our report shows, this is not the reality for Kurds in Iran. The Iranian government has not taken sufficient steps to eliminate discrimination, or to end the cycle of violence against women and punish those responsible,” said Amnesty International.
The report says that Kurdish women face a double challenge to have their rights recognized -- as members of a marginalised ethnic minority, and as women in a predominantly patriarchal society.
Although women and girls form the backbone of economic activity in the Kurdish areas, strict social codes are used to justify denial of their human rights. Such codes mean that it can be very difficult for government officials to investigate inequalities in girls’ education, early and forced marriages, and domestic violence against Kurdish girls and women -- and the severe consequences of some of these abuses, including “honour killings” and suicide.
“Kurdish women are victims of violence on a daily basis and face discrimination from state officials, groups or individuals, including family members. Iranian authorities are obliged to exercise due diligence in eradicating violence against women in the home and in the community but this just isn’t happening,” Amnesty International said.
The report Iran: Human rights abuses against the Kurdish minority recognizes that while expression of Kurdish culture, such as dress and music, is generally respected and that the Kurdish language is used in some broadcasts and publications, the Kurdish minority continues to suffer deep-rooted discrimination.
Recent cases have highlighted particular human rights violations involving Kurds:
“We urge the Iranian authorities to take concrete measures to end any discrimination and associated human rights violations that Kurds, indeed all minorities in Iran, face,” said Amnesty International.
“Kurds and all other members of minority communities in Iran, men, women and children, are entitled to enjoy their full range of human rights. The Iranian authorities should promote and protect the rights of human rights defenders, including women’s rights activists, and abide by their obligations under international human rights law.”
Background
The 57 page report Iran:
Human Rights Abuses Against the Kurdish Minority (AI Index: MDE
13/088/2008) is the latest in a series of Amnesty International reports on
human rights abuses against ethnic and cultural minorities in Iran . Previous
reports have described abuses against Ahwazi Arabs and the Baluchi minority.
Amnesty International has previously raised many of the concerns and cases in this report with the Iranian authorities but without adequate response. They rarely respond to the organization and have not permitted Amnesty International access to Iran to investigate human rights for more than 28 years.
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