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Tehran Demands International Praise over Carried Executions | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir addresses a protest rally in Lahore on April 4, 2009 Getty Images


London-Iran’s chair to the judiciary’s committee for human rights Mohammad-Javad Larijani, brother to Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, demanded that the West and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran Ahmad Shaheed to “esteem” Tehran rather than directing the barrage of criticism for the extra-judicial executions.

The United Nations top investigator into Iran’s human rights had announced concluding his assigned mission in Iran and that a new replacement would assume the post. Shaheed, former Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be replaced with Pakistani human rights lawyer and Liberal activist Asma Jahangir, according to an announcement by the world body.

Shaheed had been serving in Iran since 2011.

Despite his official post by the international organization, Shaheed as of the first moments of assignment to Tehran was not granted local approval to sit down with officials or to closely examine the humanitarian situation in legal institutions.

The U.N.-sent investigator was not allowed to do much probe around government-run establishments, he was barred from intelligence centers, prisons and mostly received protest and denial from the Iranian government when publishing or issuing reports.

However, Shaheed’s statements and reports drew in vast support from civil community and human rights organizations. Most of his work was based on testimonies of victims and eyewitnesses.

Shaheed also cooperated with human rights organizations within the country, including opposition groups and volunteer Iranian lawyers.

Asma Jahangir, having received the Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Worship in 2010, and had on many occasions denounced and censured oppression of freedom of worship in Iran. Her assignment comes at a time when Tehran continuously spends its efforts to stop the U.N. Special Rapporteur’s mission in Iran.

Iran’s chair to the committee for human rights Mohammad-Javad Larijani had responded to criticism against Tehran for overlooking and undermining international callings to put the execution of 12 allegedly drug traffickers on hold.

Shaheed lambasted Tehran on Monday for carrying out capital punishment against 12 prisoners extra-judicially. The prisoners were denied the right to defense or hiring of lawyers for trial. What is more is that trials did not last over 20 minutes.

Shaheed had asked Iranian authorities not to proceed with the executions the day before they were carried out.

None of the internationally recognized protocols for trials were met in the case of the twelve executions, Shaheed said.

In October of 2015, Shaheed called the increasing rate of executions in Iran an “unprecedented assault on the right to life.”