Death of Pakistani Human Rights and Democracy Advocate Asma Jahangir 2/14/2018 7:48:58 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print The prominent Human Rights defender, Asma Jahangir Press Statement Heather Nauert Department Spokesperson Washington, DC February 13, 2018 We join Pakistan and others around the world in mourning the untimely death of Pakistani human rights and democracy advocate, Asma Jahangir. For years, she courageously defended the rights of those who did not have a voice, and championed the rule of law, democracy, and human rights including freedom of religion or belief. Her work in Pakistan, including as a founder and chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and with the  United Nations  and groups such as the International Crisis Group and the South Asia Forum for Human Rights, made her a global icon in human rights. Most recently she served as the Special Ra...

Iran Dominates Third Committee Discussions on Human Rights 10/27/2017 10:39:16 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print Justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran October 26, 2017 -  ASMA JAHANGIR, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, said the report she was presenting was her first since assuming the mandate and covered the first six months of 2017.  She expressed concern over the rate of executions, with at least four juvenile offenders executed since the beginning of the year, and 86 more known to be on death row.  Reports of torture were also deeply concerning, as were those of harassment, intimidation and prosecution of human rights defenders. She continued to receive reports of violations against the freedom of expression, with numerous journalists describing harassment and intimidation by State agents.  There was an emerging pattern of arbitrary deprivation of liberty...

UN rights experts urge Iran to halt imminent execution of juvenile Amirhossein Pourjafar GENEVA (18 October 2017) – UN human rights experts* have made an urgent appeal to Iran to halt the execution of Amirhossein Pourjafar, who was 16 years of age when he was sentenced to death. The execution is scheduled to take place tomorrow. “The Iranian authorities must immediately halt the execution of this juvenile offender and annul the death sentence against him in compliance with their international obligations,” the experts said. “International standards unequivocally forbid imposing the death sentence on anyone under 18 years of age.” The experts said Iran was continuing to execute juvenile offenders despite it being strictly prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is party. In 2016, the Committee on the Rights of the Child strongly urged Iran to end the execution of children and persons who co...

 Iran: Family of detained Kurd man write letter to Iran Special Rapporteur about unknown fate of son The Hossein panahi family wrote a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jahangir regarding the unknown fate of their son. This letter which was written on October 11 reads in part: “Our youngest son, Ramin Hossein panahi, was visiting Sanandaj to see his family, when he was shot by the Revolutionary Guards Corps and was then taken to the hospital in this town. IRGC forces transferred him to an unknown location after half an hour. Hours after the attack, IRGC forces attacked our house, beat our daughter Afshin Hossein panahi, and her elderly father and then arrested our other son Afshin Hossein panahi and transferred him to an unknown location. After two months of being subject to the most severe torture, he was transferred to Sanandaj Prison and is now kept in a state of limbo. According to international laws and even according to the laws of the Islamic Republic, we shoul...

. @Amnesty : I support activists working to end the #DeathPenalty # EndExecutions @Asma_Jahangir #Iran #StopExecutions https://www. amnesty.org/en/latest/camp aigns/2017/10/iran-human-rights-defenders-jailed-for-their-anti-death-penalty-work/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=article&utm_term=&utm_campaign=social   …