The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) and the NGO Freedom from Torture organised a panel event to raise greater awareness of on-going serious and systematic human rights violations in Iran, including the persecution and unwarranted judicial prosecution of activists and the media, and the on-going use of torture, on 11 December, 2017.This event was held under the Chatham House rule.

We would like to thank Ann Clwyd MP, PHRG Chair, for chairing this meeting.

The speakers were:

• A survivor activist from the organisation Survivors Speaking Out – speaking on behalf of a torture survivor from Iran who felt unable to speak because of the possibility of reprisals;
• Ann Hannah, Director of Policy at Freedom from Torture;
• Caroline Hurndall, Head of the Iran Unit, FCO;
• Kasra Naji, BBC Persia.

The issues discussed included:

• the findings from Freedom from Torture’s recent report (“Turning a blind eye: why the international community must no longer ignore torture in Iran” – see: www.freedomfromtorture.org/iran);
• the importance of seeking and generating opportunities to raise human rights concerns with the Iranian Government, with a view to holding them to account and encouraging greater compliance;
• the need for the Iranian Government to sign up to the Convention Against Torture and allow for independent monitoring of places of detention; and,
• the sustained campaign of harassment and persecution of BBC Persian staff and people associated with them since the disputed 2009 Presidential election.

The event had particular resonance in light of the crackdown by the Iranian government in response to protests, with the mass arrests and death of protestors serving as another reminder of why human rights violations in Iran should remain a pressing concern.

The PHRG will continue to follow developments in Iran closely, including in connection with on-going allegations of torture, the persecution of HRDs and journalists, the misuse of the death penalty (particularly the execution of juveniles) and consular cases, and will raise its concerns with relevant interlocutors.

The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) met with Dipendra Jha, Nepalese lawyer, human rights advocate and author of Federal Nepal: Trials and Tribulations, on 7 December, 2017, to discuss the current political and human rights situation in Nepal.

The main points which arose were as follows:

• India’s strategy in Nepal, which the UK and the US seem to have supported, is failing. There is growing expansion of Chinese influence in Nepal. It is believed that India helped create a blockade because it wanted constitutional change; this, however, was a miscalculation and gave more space to the Left and to China.
• There is a new Leftist alliance participating in the elections, which is expected to get a two thirds majority in Parliament and has clear backing from China.
• The people in the Terai region are being mistreated in part because of a backlash against India, as they are seen as being allied to India. 40% of the Nepalese population resides in the Southern belt, with an open border between Nepal and India. Terai was not initially part of Nepal, and its population is largely seen as being “Indian”. There are no job opportunities open to them in many Government agencies, and all relevant state employment exams have to be taken in Nepali. They are also seen as potentially disloyal to the nation so are not allowed to join the army.
• The Maoists initially pledged to work for the emancipation of marginalised communities, as these were their main support base. However, when the Maoists lost the election in the Second Constituent Assembly, they changed their stance and wanted more traction with the ruling elites. The Maoists merged with 5 Leftist parties and will form one party. They receive funding from China, to implement commercial projects such as those in connection with hydropower.
• Dipendra Jha has been threatened, and a former Attorney-General defamed him in an article.
• There has been election-related violence, and police attacks on locals in Terai. It is estimated that between 2015 and 2017 the security forces were responsible for the death of dozens of people in the region. The report of the High-Level Commission of Inquiry into the Terai killings in 2015 and 2016 should be made public and acted on. It would also be helpful to know what the UK is doing in connection with security sector reform in Nepal, and its impact.
• There have been 57 Commissions set up in Nepal over the last 10 years, although none of their reports have been published.
• The Supreme Court asked four years ago for the blanket amnesty for violators to be overturned, but the law has not yet been fully amended.
• The mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will be extended for one year.
• There is concern about new legislation criminalising blasphemy and prohibiting religious conversion, in light of growing Hindu nationalism.
• There is also concern about demands for secession from some in the South.
• There is high migration from Nepal to the Gulf States, with thousands leaving every day. Over 50% of households, especially those in the Terai, have at least one person working in the Gulf, and remittances are important contributor to the Nepali economy. Migration is related to the lack of employment opportunities, and often involves illiterate people. There are concerns about the exploitation of Nepali workers there.
• Most aid projects are run through the Government, which is corrupt. There is a commission mandated to investigate corruption, but it is heavily politicised.

The PHRG will continue to monitor the situation in Nepal closely, including the challenges faced by HRDs and efforts being made to tackle impunity, and to raise its concerns with the relevant interlocutors.

The PHRG would like to highlight EDM 1165 – Representation of People in Terai Region of Nepal.

The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) and Amnesty International UK were delighted to hold their annual joint reception to mark International Human Rights Day, by kind permission of Mr. Speaker in the State Rooms in Speaker’s House, on 7 December, 2017, with short presentations by:

• Ann Clwyd MP – PHRG Chair;
• Kate Allen – AI UK Director;
• Lord Ahmad – FCO Minister for Human Rights;
• Mr Speaker – Speaker of the House of Commons;
• Jeremy Corbyn MP – Leader of the Opposition; and,
• Issa Amro – Palestinian Human Rights Defender.

The event was also an opportunity for UK Parliamentarians to support AI UK’s 2017 Annual Write for Rights campaign, which this year included the following cases: Istanbul 10 and Taner Kilic (Turkey); Azza Soliman (Egypt); Issa Amro & Farid al-Atrash (Israel/OPT); Ni Yulan (China); and Xulhaz Mannan (Bangladesh).

For more about AI UK’s 2017 Annual Write for Rights campaign, see https://www.amnesty.org.uk/write-rights-2017?&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqJjk-q2y2QIVF0kZCh3tDgTwEAAYASAAEgKd8PD_BwE.

We would like to thank all those who took part..

PHRG Chair Ann Clwyd MP also led a short Westminster Hall debate to mark International Human Rights Day – and to raise concerns in a number of countries around the world, including in Burma, Yemen and Turkey, to stress the continued importance of the UK Government promoting and protecting international human rights in its foreign policy and to highlight AI UK’s 2017 Write for Rights campaign – on 20 December, 2017. The debate can be read here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-12-20/debates/D51973B8-A353-44EA-A0F9-52C6802461C5/InternationalHumanRightsDay

 

The photos from the event included in this article are reprinted with kind permission of the photographer, Marie-Anne Ventoura