Last week, the nuclear dossier of Iran’s theocratic regime was officially brought before the United Nations Security Council and a Presidential Statement was released calling on Tehran to abandon its all enrichment-related activity.
Although the statement was watered down to accommodate Russia and China, it is important to realize the significance of the first step taken by the Security Council.
No matter what Iran may do now and how long we may be away before sanctions are imposed, the referral in and of itself is a major step in dealing with the mullahs. The regime’s reaction, ludicrous statements and the hollow show of force is indicative of the seriousness of the Security Council referral.
What we must not forget and should surely press for, is the fact that the situation of human rights in Iran also merits a great deal of action and requires swift international action.
The mullahs have in the past resorted to mass executions in order to keep their grip on power and control the public. In 1988, after the ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war, no less than 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in Iran in a matter of few months following a fatwa by Khomeini.
The execution of a member of the People’s Mojahedin, the main Iranian opposition movement, Mr. Hojjat Zamani, on February 7 and the threats to execute another political prisoner by the name of Valiollah Feiz-Mahdavi on May 16, revives the memories of that massacre.
To prevent this disaster from happening again, the United Nations Security Council should address Iran’s Human Rights violations in parallel with its nuclear record and assign a special envoy to investigate the dreadful plight of prisoners in Iran, especially the political prisoners.
