NOURNEWS - Ms. Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on people's human rights, visited Iran in May of the last year at the invitation of the Human Rights Headquarters.
This eleven-day trip was carried out from May 17 to 28, 2022, and its purpose was to investigate the effects of unilateral US sanctions on the people of our country.
During this trip, Douhan was closely informed about some of the effects of unilateral US sanctions, and at the end of her trip, she attended a press conference and answered the questions of reporters regarding the results of this trip and published a statement about it.
In general, during field visits, the special rapporteur on coercive measures tries to get a correct understanding of the impact of sanctions on human rights under his or her mission while meeting with government representatives on the one hand and sanctions victims and civil society members on the other hand, and finally by preparing a report to present his proposals to the Human Rights Council.
As a professor of international law and director of the Peace Research Center, Douhan has extensive experience in the field of international law and human rights. By writing more than 120 books and articles in various fields of international law, she is also considered a scientific figure.
The text of the UN Special Rapporteur's report is derived from significant keywords that can be a criterion for judging global measures against the Western countries’ anti-Iranian sanctions.
Words such as illegal, unorthodox, illegitimate, anti-human rights, inhumane, unfair and economic war are among the definitions used by Douhan to describe the imposed sanctions against Iran.
She emphasizes that the effects of the sanctions, contrary to the claim of the US, were officially and widely against the "Iranian nation", which, as a violation of human rights and superior standards, is contrary to all international laws and regulations and should be revised.
The Special Rapporteur has received numerous reports of foreign financial institutions and commercial companies refusing payments and providing goods and services for fear of financial, credit and other possible consequences.
Even after the signing of the JCPOA in 2015, reports have been published about the unwillingness of foreign financial institutions to restore relations with Iran and invest in this country, due to the history of heavy financial fines for allegedly violating US sanctions.
She states that Iran, like other countries under sanctions, has suffered from the expansion of American jurisdiction in international banking transactions due to the connections of US banks with foreign banks or dollar payments, and this has not only caused disruptions and serious delays in the supply of basic goods, including food, medicine, medical equipment and other equipment and raw materials, but it has also seriously hindered Iran's participation in international cooperation, including paying membership fees to international organizations and associations, access to financial opportunities and the participation of Iranians and Iranian institutions in academic and scientific affairs, cultural and sports programs and activities.
The reporter concludes that the use of unilateral sanctions, secondary sanctions and excessive adherence has an adverse effect on a wide range of human, civil and political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to live and the right to progress.
It is noteworthy that she admits that inflation has also been affected by environmental changes caused by unilateral sanctions and the effects of the devaluation of the Iranian currency due to financial restrictions and the blocking of foreign assets.
The imposed commercial and financial restrictions have had a direct impact on Iran's labor market, especially in sectors that are directly related to international markets, and also on the livelihood of Iranians living abroad who are actively involved in commercial activities, the instability of the atmosphere and conditions in the regime. Sanctions lead to instability and insecurity in the labor market and increase the risk of employment in the informal economy without access to social protection coverage.
One of the important points of Mrs. Douhan's report is about the sanctions imposed on medicine and sanitary devices.
She states that Iran produces about 95% of its essential drugs and vaccines to reduce the impact of unilateral sanctions, with production systems and optimal quality assurance, however, Iranian pharmaceutical companies are facing difficulties in providing the necessary raw materials and Rising costs affects their buying abilities to import them from abroad.
Reliable sources and conducted interviews have confirmed the unsustainability of the supply of medical services since 2011 due to the sanctions.
Important challenges in the procurement and delivery of drugs and life-saving medical equipment produced by foreign companies and for the treatment of rare diseases, including certain types of cancer, thalassemia, hemophilia, leukemia, Ichthyosis, MS, butterfly disease, autism and certain types of There is diabetes.
Although the text of the sanctions states that drugs and medical equipment are not affected by humanitarian exemptions, their supply to Iran has been severely reduced due to the sanctions' impact on financial, trading, shipping and insurance companies, international payment limits and foreign businesses.
Also, the excessive compliance of the suppliers of these items is considered a serious obstacle for all Iranians to have the right to achieve the highest health standards.
In addition to medicine and medical equipment, international companies and suppliers refuse to sell software to manage and monitor the treatment of patients, such as the software needed to manage the drug dosage of cancer patients.
Financial constraints, secondary sanctions, and the ambiguity, complexity, and uncertainty surrounding the determination of what is exempt from sanctions and what can be considered "dual-use" (it means, for civilian and military use), a number of medical disciplines and sectors in Iran has affected, among others, nuclear medicine and Radiopharmaceuticals with a direct impact on patients receiving such specialized treatments.
Besides enumerating the dimensions of the consequences of the sanctions against the Iranian nation, especially its impact on the daily life of the people, as well as the healthcare sector, including special diseases such as children with butterfly and thalassemia, Mrs. Douhan has officially acknowledged the violation of international laws by these sanctions and states that all unilateral measures against Iran, Iranian nationals and companies that have been applied without the authorization of the United Nations Security Council, which their use cannot be justified as countermeasures or retaliatory measures in accordance with international laws, must be canceled.
She also points out that all existing restrictions on trade, financial payments and delivery of food, medicine and medical equipment, water, health, communication and transportation, spare parts, seeds, fertilizers, as well as goods and services for the maintenance and development of critical infrastructure, which for It is considered necessary for Iranians to enjoy human rights must get cancelled.
The Special Rapporteur calls on the US government to end the national emergency regarding Iran, which is not compatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to fully implement the provisions of the International Court of Justice order of October 2, 2017, and to implement national laws accordingly. She asked US to align itself with international laws, including human rights, refugee law, and international responsibility law.
The Special Rapporteur invites the United Nations to cooperate with her in creating a conceptual framework for compensation mechanisms, compensation and reparation for victims of human rights violations caused by unilateral coercive measures.
Finally, she states that the sanctions against Iran are a violation of all international laws and humanitarian laws, and its leaders and enforcers should be held accountable for violating laws and human rights.
It has now been one year since Ms. Douhan's visit to Iran and eight months since her official report to the Human Rights Council and international organizations, while on the one hand, the countries claiming human rights are against this report, which clearly calls the sanctions a crime against humanity and demands their cancellation have not only remained silent but have even increased sanctions and imposed new unilateral sanctions against Iran.
On the other hand, the United Nations and the Human Rights Council, who call themselves the saviors of nations and humanity, have also acted contrary to their responsibilities and duties and have not taken any action to implement the demands of Mrs. Douhan's report.
The behavior of the claimants of human rights, including the Western ones, alongside the United Nations, in front of this report after one year, shows the anti-human nature of the international system, which does not even adhere to its own human rights laws and claims, and puts its own interests at the expense of millions of people and prefers its own benefits over human rights.
BY: Mohammad Ghaderi
NOURNEWS