UN Human Rights Condemns Floggings In Iran

Geneva, 31 May 2016 – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the brutal and abhorrent fogging of 35 young male and female students in Qazvin last week after they were caught having a graduation party.
In a statement issue by the office of the UNHR, the commissioner said: “We condemn the outrageous flogging of up to 35 young men and women in Iran last week, after they were caught holding a graduation party together in Qazvin, north of Tehran. According to State media, the students were arrested on Thursday, interrogated and sentenced by the Prosecutor’s Office to 99 lashes each and then were flogged – all within the space of 24 hours.
Flogging is prohibited under international human rights law, in particular the Convention against Torture. The UN Committee against Torture, the Human Rights Committee and UN Special Rapporteurs have repeatedly voiced serious concerns about States’ use of flogging, highlighting in particular its use against women, and have called for its abolition. For the authorities to have meted out this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment – which could amount to torture – is completely disproportionate and abhorrent.
In another case, 17 mine workers were reportedly flogged in Western Azerbaijan province in Iran this month for protesting the dismissal of 350 workers from the Agh Dara gold mine. Last month, a woman was publicly flogged for having sexual relations outside marriage. While we do not have a reliable estimate on the use of flogging in the country, reports suggest that it is used regularly for a wide range of perceived offences.
We urge the Iranian authorities to cease the use of this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
On Thursday, last week the notorious and brutal mullah Ismaeil Sadeqi Niaraki, Iran regime’s Prosecutor in Qazvin said that a special court session was held after all the young men and women at the party were rounded up.
“After we received information that a large number of men and women were mingling in a villa in the suburbs of Qazvin … all the participants at the party were arrested,” he said.
Niaraki added that the following morning every one of those detained received 99 lashes as punishment by the so-called ‘Morality Police.’
“Thanks God that the police questioning, investigation, court hearing, verdict and implementation of the punishment all took place in less than 24 hours,” Niaraki added.
Earlier Iran’s judiciary had sentenced 17 miners for taking part in a protest rally after they lost their jobs. Redundant were lashed between 30 and 100 times earlier this month as punishment by the mullahs’ regime in Iran.
The men previously worked at the Aq-Dareh Gold Mine in Western Azerbaijan Province, north-west Iran.