'Upcoming elections lack minimum conditions' say former MPs

GVF — A group of former Iranian lawmakers have called on the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to take action in light of the Islamic Republic’s violation of the Union’s principles.

Established in 1889, the IPU is a transnational organisation with its headquarters in Geneva. It seeks to promote democracy by strengthening the institution of parliament. 

In a letter to the IPU’s Secretary-General Anders B. Johnsson, the former members of the Iranian parliament (or Majlis) said that the “arbitrary” imprisonment of several former MPs as well as holding “completely flawed and engineered elections” constituted the Iranian regime’s “two major violations” of the Union’s charter. 

The letter’s publication comes two weeks before Iran is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on 2 March. Many expect the vote to be overshadowed by a planned boycott by opposition groups, including the country’s most prominent pro-reform parties, the Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organisation and the Islamic Iran Participation Front, many of whose members are either in prison or awaiting jail time.

Last Tuesday marked the first year anniversary of the house arrest of former parliament speaker Mahdi Karroubi. The outspoken cleric was placed under house arrest in mid-February 2011 after he and fellow Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi called for protests in solidarity with the Arab Spring. “He has been imprisoned inside a rental property and does not have access to basic rights such as access to fresh air, available to regular prisoners,” the parliamentarians’ letter stated.

They say that Iranian authorities have violated another article of the Union’s principles by refusing to hold fair and free elections. “By holding completely flawed and engineered elections, the Islamic Republic of Iran has created an atmosphere that does not provide any guarantees for holding untainted free and fair elections. This has deprived a majority of Iranian people, including many in the political class, from participating in the elections.”

The former parliamentarians urged Johnsson take “necessary actions” in order to “point out and pursue this issue and to prevent further violations of the rights of Iranian citizens.” They described the upcoming elections as lacking “the minimum conditions for competition and will be held within the regime’s inner circle. Those who win these elections can be construed as government puppets inside the Parliament, rather than symbols of national will.”

“Unfortunately … despite joining the Union, the Islamic Republic of Iran not only has not taken any steps to coordinate Iran’s laws and practices with the principles and standards of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in some cases it is not even willing to follow the Iranian Constitution and statutory law,” the former MPs added.

Full text of the letter by the former MPs:

Dear Mr. Johnsson

Secretary General, the Inter-Parliamentary Union

As you know, according to the Statutes of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the members of the Union are obligated to safeguard and observe the Union’s principles under paragraph 4 of Article 3 and furthermore to respect and commit to its overall principles of peace, to create public cooperation for forming a fair and free parliament, and to spread and develop human rights. Unfortunately, however, despite joining the Union, the Islamic Republic of Iran not only has not taken any steps to coordinate Iran’s laws and practices with the principles and standards of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in some cases it is not even willing to follow the Iranian Constitution and statutory law.

Therefore, we, a group of former members of the Iranian Parliament who now unwillingly live outside of our country, Iran, would like to report to you and honorable members of the Human Rights Commission two major violations of principles of the Inter-Parliamentary Union by the Islamic Republic of Iran and to emphatically ask for your civil organization’s immediate action. These violations are:

• Arbitrary detention of several former Members of Parliament

• Violations regarding holding free and fair elections

First, detention of several former Iranian Members of Parliament (MPs):

As reported before, during the past two years, several former Iranian MPs have been arbitrarily detained and currently remain in prison. Arrests of these former MPs are not only against human rights principles, but they also violate current Iranian laws. Names of former MPs currently under detention, or who have been sentenced to prison terms and are awaiting enforcement of their sentences, are as follows:

• Mehdi Karroubi, Parliament Speaker during the 1989-1993 and 2000-2004 terms. He remains in detention following his continuous objection to alleged widespread fraud and manipulation of votes during the 2009 presidential election. He has been imprisoned inside a rental property and does not have access to basic rights such as access to fresh air, available to regular prisoners. His family has repeatedly expressed concern about his health, and during recent days his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, herself a former MP during the 1996-1999 terms, has expressed grave concern about the physical safety of the old building in which he is detained. Mr. Karroubi’s family fears for his life and health. There has been no judicial process or formally charging him with any wrongdoing by the authorities.

• Behzad Nabavi, Deputy Parliament Speaker from 2000 to 2004.

• Mohsen Mirdamadi, Chairman of the National Security and foreign affairs Commission from 2000 to 2004.

• Davood Soleimani, Tehran representative and Member of the Cultural Commission from 2000 to 2004.

• Ghasem Sholeh-Sadi, Tehran representative from 1989 to1993.

• Mohsen SafaeiFarahani, Member of the Budget and Planning Commission from 2000 to 2004, currently on medical furlough.

• Mohsen Armin, Deputy Parliament Speaker from 2000 to 2004, recently sentenced to six years in prison

• Ali Shakouri Rad, Member of the Presiding Board from 2000 to 2004.

Second, violations regarding holding free and fair elections: Holding free and fair elections based on the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Declaration on Criteria for Free and Fair Elections is every Union Member’s obligation. The Declaration obligates states to conduct transparent elections and take all steps to avoid fraud. The Declaration further provides citizens with full voting rights and opportunities to stand as candidates and campaign without undue interference with free expression and other recognized human rights. However, despite having also signed the International Convention Civil and Political Rights, which under Article 25, guarantees every citizen the right to take part in public affairs and “to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections,” the Islamic Republic of Iran has refused to uphold these obligations.

By holding completely flawed and engineered elections, the Islamic Republic of Iran has created an atmosphere that does not provide any guarantees for holding untainted free and fair elections. This has deprived a majority of Iranian people, including many in the political class, from participating in the elections. Therefore, we ask you to put necessary actions on your agenda to point out and pursue this issue and to prevent further violations of the rights of Iranian citizens.

Iran plans to hold elections for the 2012-2015 term in March, while the country’s largest political faction—under the leadership of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami—has been forced to withdraw from participation. We testify that these elections are in clear contradiction with the standards for free and fair elections adopted by the Union. The upcoming elections lack the minimum conditions for competition and will be held within the regime’s inner circle. Those who win these elections can be construed as government puppets inside the Parliament, rather than symbols of national will. We hope that your efforts and those of related commissions would lead to ending this inappropriate and unfair process.

Respectfully,

• Former members of the Iranian Parliament now residing outside of Iran
• Ahmad Salamatian Member of the 1st Parliament, Former Deputy Foreign Minister
• Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari Member of the 1st Parliament
• Rajabali Mazrooei Member of the 6th Parliament
• Fatemeh Haghighatjoo Member of the 6th Parliament
• Seyed Alliakbar Mousavi Member of the 6th Parliament
• Ahamad Moradi Member of the Fifth and Sixth Parliaments
• Esmaeel Gerami Moghaddam Member of the 7th Parliament