Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  By and large, and on a very grand scale, I get reports of unfair trials, including some cases of trials lasting no more than a few minutes before a capital sentence can be handed out. The rule of law is very poorly administered, and in some types of courts, the judiciary courts e

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If I may, in my view, it should be pointed or directed at a very broad range of the Iranian diasporan community. There is a wide range of communities out there, including ethnic minority communities, religious communities, and so on. Rather than focus on one specific community, i

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In terms of human rights, I think maintaining that focus is the right thing to do. If there were a tendency to put human rights issues under the carpet, then obviously it would be a tragic mistake, with serious consequences down the line. It would not be sustainable, either. To

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  For the clarification on what you just cited, it was a report forwarded from the vice-president for women's affairs, Ms. Molaverdi, who said that there are villages—and she said “villages” in the plural—in Sistan and Baluchestan province where the entire population of males have

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If I might add just one bit to this forum, I would also highlight that engagement is not just for the Government of Iran. It must also be with the Iranian people and Iranian civil society in the country in ways that they can be supported and encouraged to be more active in demand

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In my reports, I have expressed CEDAW's concern about structural discrimination against women in the Iranian system. It's built in through the laws and through the practices. There's also a paradox to this, in that over the past 30-odd years women have attained huge strides in ed

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If I may come in, the recently held election at the parliament has produced a parliament that, compared to previous parliaments, has less representation for the clerics and hard-liners than before. By and large, we're saying the majority are the pragmatists or moderates, and 18 w

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The big contribution that Canada has made towards advancing human rights in Iran has been the resolution that Canada has been tabling at the UNGA and making sure it gets a growing number of countries supporting it. This remains the only, if you like, international announcement th

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If I may answer, I have not observed substantive change in the way the government has operated with regard to human rights. In fact, in some areas there is a serious escalation of violations. An example would be the right-to-life situation in the country. At the same there have b

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, honourable Chair, and honourable members. I will begin by thanking the committee for inviting me to contribute to hearings as part of Iran accountability week, and on my work for the UN in investigating the human rights situation in Iran. In 2011, when I began my m