United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights Alena Douhan urged the US Government to cease the state of national emergency regarding Iran, which she says is incompatible with the norms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
In a report issued on Monday, the UN rapporteur said that since the re-imposition of the US unilateral sanctions in 2018, general prices in Iran rose 85% and food prices doubled.
Iran has been experiencing a panoply of economic and other sanctions for over 40 years, coupled with secondary sanctions, over-compliance and de-risking policies which have been substantially affecting the country’s economy, humanitarian situation and people’s lives, including with regard to access to basic goods, services and infrastructure, the report said.
Almost all the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors, both governmental and non-governmental, have qualified these measures as a form of “economic warfare” with serious adverse effects on the lives of millions of Iranians inside and outside the country, it added.
The rapporteur noted that according to the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, the re-imposition of sanctions in 2018 have jeopardized the country’s food security by disrupting the supply of at least 10 million tons of agricultural imports, including among others the supply of livestock inputs, oil seeds and cooking oil, which constitutes a clear violation of the right to food in terms of access and adequacy.
She calls on sanctioning States:
(a) to lift all unilateral measures against Iran, Iranian nationals and companies, as being imposed without the authorization of the UN Security Council and whose use cannot be justified as retortions or countermeasures in accordance with international law.
(b) to remove especially all restrictions on trade, financial payments and delivery of food, medicines and medical equipment, water, sanitation, communication and transportation, spare parts, seeds, fertilizers as well as goods and services for the maintenance and development of critical infrastructure, which are essential for the enjoyment of human rights by Iranians.
(c) to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran is able to pay assessed and voluntary contributions to international organizations and that Iranian diplomatic, consular and special missions, as well as their staffs, are provided with all necessary means and facilities to perform their consular and diplomatic functions in full conformity with the principle of sovereign equality of states and the Vienna conventions on diplomatic and consular relations and special missions
(d) to unfreeze assets of the Iranian Central Bank in accordance with customary norms of international law on the immunity of state property, to enable the Government to implement socio-economic policies to benefit Iranians, in particular those most in need.
The Special Rapporteur urges the U.S. Government to cease the state of national emergency regarding Iran, which is incompatible with the norms of the ICCPR, to fully implement provisions of the Order of the International Court of Justice of 3 October 2018 and to bring national legislation into accordance with international law, including human rights law, refugee law and the law of international responsibility.
The Special Rapporteur invites the UN system to engage with her in developing a conceptual framework for mechanisms of compensation, remedy and redress for victims of human rights violations due to UCMs.
While welcoming Iranian efforts to accommodate the growing number of Afghan refugees, besides lifting of unilateral sanctions, which will enhance the Government’s capability to provide necessary services and care to refugees, I call on the international community to provide Iran with additional substantial assistance to be allocated for refugees.
The Special Rapporteur calls on UN agencies and programs, and human rights mechanisms, including Special Procedures, to pay due attention to the impact of unilateral coercive measures while examining the situation in Iran.