EP Iranian Delegation Example of Political Impotence

The EU parliamentary delegation to Tehran stirred up, once again, an issue of human rights in regards to MP Schaake’s head-dress. Although there is merit to this issue since Shaake is very pro-Iranian (she strongly supported opening an EU delegation in Iran) but she is also very pro-women’s rights, the storm over Shaake’s head-dress overshadowed the main problem with this delegation’s visit: besides meeting with the government officials, the delegations did not meet with any opposition leaders or human rights activists as outlined in last year’s EP resolution on EU delegations to Iran.

The furor over Shaake’s head-dress may be a visual symbol of the problem of human rights in Iran but the real problem is that although the EP is very vocal about the problems of human rights in Iran, the delegation did absolutely nothing to deal with these issues in Tehran.

Adding insult to injury, the EU delegation was barred by the Iranian authorities from speaking to foreign media while in Tehran.

 

The EP Resolution on Iran

Back in in March 31^st 2014, the European Parliament issued a resolution concerning its strategy vis-a-vis Iran. The gist of this resolution is that the EP should help to promote better relations with Iran while keeping up the pressure to improve the state of human rights there.

Here are some soundbites from the resolution and their resulting impotence:

• It stated that “any future Parliament delegations to Iran should be committed to meeting members of the political opposition and civil society activists, and to having access to political prisoners” – the last delegation met only with regime leaders.
• It calls for the opening of an EU delegation in Tehran as “an efficient tool for influencing Iranian policies…on issues such as human and minority rights” – no such delegation was ever opened.
• It welcomed the “release of several prisoners of conscience in Iran, including the human rights lawyer and Sakharov Prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh” – since then Sotoudeh was sent back to jail.
• It called “on the Iranian authorities to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, political prisoners, trade unionists and labour activists, and those detained after the 2009 presidential elections” – all of them are still in jail or under house arrest.
• It condemned “the restrictions on freedom of information, freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, academic freedom, freedom of education and freedom of movement, as well as the repression and discrimination on the basis of religion, belief, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation that persist, inter alia against the Baha’i community, Christians, apostates and converts” – all of these issues have paradoxically gone from bad to worst under Rouhani.
• It called “on Iran to cooperate with international human rights bodies and its own NGOs by acting upon the recommendations of the UN and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)” – Tehran simply dismissed the UN Special Rapporteur’s report and the UPR as “politically motivated”.
• It stressed that “women’s rights should, without fail, remain an area of special focus in any dialogue between the EU and Iran” – Even under Rouhani’s “moderate” government, Iranian women still suffer from legalized gender segregation and massive discrimination.
• It considers that “Iran should use its considerable influence in Syria to stop the bloody civil war and calls on Iran’s leadership to adopt a constructive role in the international efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis” – meanwhile, Iran is spending approximately $15 Billion a year in Syria and is now sending troops to fight Assad’s war which has killed 200,000 and injured over one million Syrians.

As such, when the EP chief Catherine Ashton visited Iran, she stirred up controversy not over her head-dress but over the fact that she met with human rights activists and lawyers in the comfort of the Greek embassy.

This resolution was harshly criticized by Tehran and perhaps that is why the last delegation did not even try to meet any opposition leaders, nor did the issue of human rights figure prominently in its discussions in Tehran. Instead, the delegation focused on talk regarding the upcoming nuclear deal and the promise of trade in the future.

 

Meanwhile, EU MP’s denounce regime

Meanwhile a group of 220 MP’s have signed a petition to “end the executions, free political prisoners, stop the repression of women and respect the rights and freedoms of the Iranian people” while expressing “our solidarity with the ten-point plan of the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, which calls for a democratic pluralistic republic based on universal suffrage, freedom of expression, abolition of torture and death penalty, separation of church and state, a non-nuclear Iran, an independent judicial system, rights for minorities, peaceful coexistence in the region, gender equality and commitment to Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. The petition was not only focused on human rights: It accused Iran as being “at the heart of the crisis in this region and not part of the solution. If fundamentalism and extremism is to be uprooted in this region, Iran’s destructive influence and interference should end.”

The reaction from Iran was, as usual, dismissive: The foreign office criticized the EP for meddling in Iranian politics and went as far as to say that such a petition never existed which sparked reaffirmations from MEP’s as to the validity of the petition.

 

Although the EP seems set on trying to help create an environment of rapprochement with Iran, it remains impotent since it did not yet decide what are its red lines as to the changes required by Iran’s regime to do so. Without these red lines, there is a lot of talk but nobody is ready to walk the talk. The EP has to decide what is more important: to open trade doors with Iran or to pressure the regime into improving human rights. Only then, can a European delegation reach visible political solutions.

 

Iran Against EU Office in Tehran

On April 3ed, the EU issued a press release which called to “exploit the current window of opportunity” in the nuclear talks with Iran to “be more active in addressing the human rights situation” in Iran beginning by opening a EU delegation in Tehran.

This resolution, which sounds legitimate in the eyes of Europeans, was met with wall-to-wall resentment in Tehran.

Here are a few examples of their responses which simply reinforce the suspicions that the regime in Tehran is not ready for change in human rights in Iran.

 

EU delegation is another “Spy Den”

Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahhedi Kermani didn’t mince words: “They (the EU) must learn a lesson from the closure of the US spy den because this people will not let another spy den be set up in Iran.” Kermani was referring, of course, to the US embassy which was taken over in 1979 leading to the hostage crisis in which 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Not a very inviting thought for the EU delegates who are supposed to run the outpost in Tehran…

In fact, Kermani dismissed all suspicions against Iran on the subject of human rights: “They (EU) are showing maximum shamefulness and immodesty…(and) are expressing strange expectations and accusations and claim that human rights are not respected in Iran.” What is “shameful” is that Kermani actually believes that human rights are respected in Iran and that capital punishment for accusations as vague as “insulting Islam“, “insulting the Prophet” or “enmity against God” is legitimate. He obviously didn’t read the latest UN report which showed an alarming rise in hangings and in discrimination to women and minorities – that’s probably because internet is illegal in Iran meaning that Foreign Minister Zarif and possibly up to 45 million Iranians are breaking the law daily. So much for basic freedoms…

 

EU delegation is a “Cheap Act”

But it isn’t only mullahs, clerics and “hardliners” who are stonewalling the EU’s request for opening a delegation in Tehran.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani belittled the EU’s resolution by simply calling it a “cheap act” that was a result of the EU being “deceived” by “seditionists in the international arena” who support “disharmony in the society”. To paraphrase Kermani, Larijani’s response seems to show “maximum shamefulness and immodesty”.

But then again, perhaps Ali Larijani is simply falling in line with his brother Dr. Javad Larijani, the secretary of Human Rights Council in Iran. Javad who deems homosexuality a disease, expects the West to be “grateful” for rising execution rates, believes that “stoning (is) not in contrast with human rights” and views Iran as a “pioneer in human rights in the world” added more insight last month by stating that human rights is an “illusory ideology” that “is very unrealistic”. If the chief of human rights in Iran believes that human rights are basically an “illusory utopia”, how can anyone inside or outside of Iran expect any change?

Both Larijani brothers have repeatedly criticized any critics of human rights in Iran and have led the attack on Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur by pointing out that his report is inaccurate because his information is not first hand while at the same time repeatedly denying hi entry into Iran. “Maximum shamefulness and immodesty” indeed…

And how about “moderate” politicians such as Zarif? Quite simply, Iran “will not allow any parliamentary delegation from Europe to travel to Iran on the conditions included in this European Parliament’s resolution” and the EU isn’t in a “moral position” to “express views on the situation of human rights in other countries”. As far as Zarif is concerned, the EU should accept what Iranian citizens understand – there can be no criticism against the regime in Tehran on human rights abuses or on any issue. Period.

 

EU Delegation a Fantasy or a Reality?

So while Tehran continues to block any criticism on the states of human rights in Iran, the P5+1 continue to try to reach a deal with Iran on the nuclear issue and many EU countries are rushing to Tehran to rekindle relations and business. In the meantime, Iranian human rights are abused daily and Iran’s aspirations for a militarized nuclear program is simply put on hold, ready to be re-activated at any time Tehran feels it profitable to do so.

The EU should understand this message loud and clear: Although the manner and style of Tehran has changed significantly under President Hassan Rouhani, any expectations of real change are “illusory and very unrealistic”.

Award winning activists in Europe – Isolated prisoners in Iran

The announcing of an EU delegation to Iran was received with mixed feelings among activists and politicians alike. While any sign of cooperation and communication may be a positive sign and a beacon for a new way in the ongoing global debate with and over Iran, the arrival of such delegation with no preconditions could have been used by the Iranian regime as a proof of approval from the European union; and thus neutralize the effect of sanctions and diplomatic moves taken to create change of Iranian policies (in military and human rights aspects). The cancellation of the Delegation by Iranian parliament announced just now confirms the worries that Iran will only cooperate with the west on its own conditions, and is not willing to change.

The delegation was cancelled over the request to meet two activists awarded a Sakharov prize for Human Rights and freedom by the EU just this Friday.  The Iranian parliament mentioned in its decline that they are, in fact, prisoners. But they are not criminals – Their activity was political and involved with supporting the opposition after the questionable elections of June 2009. Appreciated, award winning activists in the west are isolated prisoners in Iran – Let this fact be remembered in all future negotiations with Iran. 

Al Jazeera reported:

Iran has cancelled a European Parliament delegation visit to Tehran after the group asked to meet two jailed Iranian dissidents awarded a top EU rights prize, a parliament spokeswoman said.

The decision came after senior officials at the parliament, which on Friday awarded its Sakharov prize for human rights and freedom of thought to filmmaker Jafar Panahi andhuman rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, said they wanted the delegation to meet the two activists.

“After hearing the new conditions, the Iranians decided to cancel,” European Parliament spokeswoman Satu Helin told the Reuters news agency. The delegation was set to travel to Tehran from October 27 to November 2.

Iran’s Mehr news agency quoted an Iranian parliamentary official as saying the European delegation had stated as a “precondition” a visit with Sotoudeh and Panahi.