Yesterday a group of victims of human rights abuses and relatives of victims gathered at the Place des Nations in Geneva to request a condemnation of Iran by the United Nations machinery and the appointment of a Special Rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in that country.
They came from various parts of Europe, travelled painstakingly, stood there in the bitter cold of winter in Switzerland, and spoke … who was there to listen?
Of course, some of us know that this is not the way to have your voice heard at the UN, but my heart goes out to them.
Perhaps, the voices of victims like these are what the various governments negotiating on the establishment of a new Human Rights Council should keep in mind first and foremost, and also what should haunt those who exert their utmost to ensure that such a Council will never condemn them.
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The Afghan Empire and the Fall of Islamic Republic of Iran
http://afghanempire.blogspot.com/
Having sympathy or as you put it nicely “your heart went out to them” would not solve the lack of knowledge of Iranian activists or as you called them “victims”.
With due respect, one should expect that the Iranians in exile should earn the knowledge of how to address human rights abuses by their government after 27 years. Six years ago the same Commission ended the mandate of the Iran’s Special Representative, what made your “victims” to think that the failing Commission would change its mind this time.
Dear anonymous,
I am not quite sure whether you meant that demonstrations are not useful, and if so, I agree, in fact, I wrote it in the post, or whether you are saying that the Commission is a failure and therefore Iranian activists should find other avenues. In the latter case, then I beg to disagree... I still believe that "naming and shaming" in international fora has an effect, I have seen it with my own eyes many a time. Not in solving issues, but certainly by preventing worse abuses.
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