Mar 2009

The Right to Privacy

Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the...

Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

As part of our special series focusing on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mohammad Mostafaie, an attorney and a human rights activist, discusses Article 11 of the Declaration. Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in two...

Everyone Is Entitled to a Fair and Public Hearing

* Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any...

No One May Be Arrested, Detained or Exiled Arbitrarily

Article 9 forbids governments from arbitrarily arresting, imprisoning or exiling citizens.

Of course, in Iran, neither the Constitution nor existing laws, statutes or legislation permit arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. The problem is the officials in charge.

Iran's Case Against transsexual

transsexual face many problems in Iran. Once they become aware of their nature, they develop a profound sense of having the wrong sexuality, of having been born in the wrong body. Their families and society expect them to accept roles...

Lawyer: We have to change the traditional mindset of judges

According to Article 8 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.” As part...

A false confession: A woman says she committed adultery to save her husband and brother

As part of our special series, “Before the Iranian Judiciary,” Mohammad Mostafaie, an attorney and a human rights activist, discusses one of his cases—that of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning. Stoning is one of the most...

Torture is a crime, even in the Iranian Constitution

Article 5 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” As part of our special series focusing on Iran and the Universal...

My Story: To not be a Muslim is the only thing I wanted

As part of our special series, “My Story: Recounting Human Rights Violations in Iran,” Shahram talks about the pressures he was subjected to for converting to Christianity. Shahram is an Iranian citizen who had to flee the country after changing...

An interview with journalist and researcher Abbas Abdi

In an interview conducted by RADIO ZAMANEH, Abbas Abdi, the prominent reformist journalist and researcher, discusses human rights violations in Iran. Q. What types of human rights violations occur in Iran that are also common throughout the world? Are such...

“Personal Stories & Recollections of

The Problem Isn’t Your Hejab

As part of our special series, “Personal Stories & Recollections of Human Rights Violations in Iran,” Mahnaz recounts her story of arrest by plainclothes security officials. Hi, my name is Mahnaz and I am a 24-year-old college student majoring...

An Interview with Hadi Ghaemi, the spokesman for the International Campaign of Human Rights in Iran (Part 2 )

A. I don’t know whether they have more tolerance but it has certainly evolved. Most of them occupied key positions of power in the 1980's. They were ministers, military commanders, intelligence and security chiefs, etc. They had very little executive experience, but they were determined to defend and preserve the newly-created Islamic system by any means possible, including through the use of extreme violence.

An Interview with Hadi Ghaemi, the spokesman for the International Campaign of Human Rights in Iran (Part 1 )

Note: As part of our special series, “Human Rights in Iran: Thirty Years,” RADIO ZAMANEH has been conducting interviews with leading human rights experts and activists. In this interview, RADIO ZAMANEH seeks to clarify whether human and civil rights...

An Interview with Abdol-Fattah Soltani, a founding member of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights

Note: The violation of and defense for human rights both have a long history in Iran. As part of our special series, “Human Rights in Iran: Thirty Years,” RADIO ZAMANEH delves more deeply into this subject by taking a...

"The Special Court for Clergy is Illegal"

Note: In Iran, violations of human rights have been institutionalized not just through the passage of discriminatory rules and legislation. It has also flourished through discriminatory practices such as issuing unjust verdicts and meting out disproportionate punishments. These are issued by the judiciary, as well as by intelligence and security authorities. As part of its special series, “Human Rights in Iran: Thirty Years,” RADIO ZAMANEH delves deeper into the subject by examining the history, formation and operation of these institutions.

Iran lacks a clear understanding of Human Rights

Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty