US official: We must “redouble our efforts” on human rights in Iran

Washington, 20 November (WashingtonTV)—US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Michael Posner, on Thursday discussed the state of political and religious freedom in the Middle East, during a House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia hearing.

The newly appointed assistant secretary focused in his testimony on religious freedom in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and noted that that Iran has been a country of “particular concern” in the State Department’s annual reports on international religious freedom “for some time.”

Posner told committee members that the U.S. is particularly concerned with Iran’s human rights violations in the wake of the disputed 12 June elections.

“There is a much broader pattern of disrespect for human rights in Iran, intensified after the election with crushing of demonstrations, imprisonment of people, detention, and mistreatment. But the respect for religious freedom in Iran is also a serious problem, the disrespect, and it continues to deteriorate. The government’s rhetoric and actions against all non-Shia religious groups, particularly the Baha’is, the Sufi, evangelical Christians and Jews, is something that simply can’t be tolerated,” Posner said.

“We have to keep pushing on these things. We have concerns about nuclear program, and whatever else, but these issues are absolutely essentially. And especially in the aftermath of the violent attacks on civil society after the elections, we have to redouble our efforts,” he added.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, told Posner during the hearing that the United States should not sacrifice human rights in the name of other policy considerations.

“We have seen repression and murder, arbitrary arrests, show trials of peaceful dissidents in the wake of elections, it was a sad reminder. National security and regional stability are overriding concerns with regards to Iran, but the rights violations that the government of Iran perpetrates against its citizens are similarly unacceptable,” said Lee.

Posner went on to outline three tools available to promote human rights and religious freedom. First, the State Department is involved in the policy making process, said Posner, adding that his office needs to be more involved. Second, the publication of the annual reports on human rights and religious freedom, which Posner says the U.S. needs to disseminate more aggressively. Third, the State Department has about 80 million dollars that is available for small grants to promote human rights and democracy.

Congressman Bob Inglis, a Republican from South Carolina, asked Posner if the US Administration has been “backing away” from democracy and human rights advocates in Iran, in a reference to recent reports that the State Department cut grants to several Iran democracy promotion organizations.

“I don’t accept that,” said Posner, citing US support for a United Nations General Assembly resolution to be voted on the following day on the human rights situation in Iran.

The resolution, which passed on 20 November, with 74 votes in favor, 48 against, and 59 abstaining, “expresses its deep concern at serious and ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and also “expresses particular concern at the response of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the Presidential election of 12 June 2009 and the concurrent rise of human rights violations.”

Posner went on to say that: “It is really important that we be out there publically. It’s important to the people of Iran that they know that we’re out there publically. This resolution at the General Assembly ... sends a very strong signal, and we are very much in the lead in trying to make sure that that resolution gets a favorable outcome. We have to keep pushing on these things.”

Source: WashingtonTV correspondent in Washington

© WashingtonTV 2009. All rights reserved.