Mr. Chair, hon. members of the committee, I'm here today to testify about the alarming human rights situation in Iran. I'm here as a political scientist and researcher.
Things are really tough for researchers. Unfortunately, we can't do any work on the ground in Iran. Some of my colleagues have been approached by the Iranian government and have been the target of intimidation and threats. As you know, the Iranian parliament, the Majles, has made it clear that we aren't welcome in Iran to conduct research on the ground.
Today I will address several key points: attacks on freedom of expression and association; state censorship, which has been discussed; the death penalty; and representative cases of repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
First, freedom of expression is being severely curtailed. Citizens are free to express their opinions, but they aren't free to do so without fear of reprisals. As Iranian activist Kaveh Kermanshahi said, people in Iran have freedom of expression, but they don't have freedom after expression. Magazine and magazine offices have been closed [Technical difficulty—Editor]. Zanan magazine is one example. It was one of very few forums where women could express themselves, and Iranian authorities have silenced it [Technical difficulty—Editor].
Next, I'd like to talk about the censorship of artistic and cultural creation, which others have discussed. Art and culture in Iran is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Any cultural production must obtain authorization [Technical difficulty—Editor], which is often arbitrary. Political and religious topics and depictions of female sensuality are under close scrutiny. For example, the Maison du cinéma was closed in January 2012 on the grounds that it constituted a threat to national security and Islamic morals. Those two arguments are often used[Technical difficulty—Editor].
Now, let's talk about the ubiquitous death penalty, the supreme punishment. As you know, Iran ranks second in the world, after China, for number of executions. The death penalty is used for a variety of crimes, including non-violent crimes, such as espionage [Technical difficulty—Editor]—