Editorial 2018-10-11
Human Rights Support Org. Corp.
https://www.humanrightssupport.org
Human Rights Abuses in Iran: Satellite Signal Jamming and Censorship
Iran has been in violation of a huge number of its international obligations. Extensive and systematic human rights abuse and brutal crackdown of its dissidents is an example of such violations of international rules. There are a number of official and unofficial groups and individuals who follow and monitor human rights abuses in Iran. Due to the gravity of such abuses in Iran in terms of both frequency and nature, which is gradually marching towards destabilizing that country which in turn would inevitably spill out of its borders and threaten the regional and international peace and security, the international community will have to monitor, process and communicate the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses and take the necessary measures to help prevent or at least mitigate such abuses in that country.
Human rights abuses in Iran are huge. In order to have a clearer picture about Iran’s pervasive violations of international obligations, suffice it to skim through the Pax Americana Institute’s report prepared in 2011, and the Annual Analytic-Statistics Reports of Human Rights Violation in Iran in 2013 and 2014, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur’s Reports. The first report renders an accurate and well-substantiated, yet non-comprehensive, facts and arguments about such violations under three topics: Nuclear Program and Proliferation Violations (IAEA Resolutions, UNSC Resolutions, and the relevant Treaties/Agreements), Systematic Crimes Against Humanity (UNSC Resolutions, the relevant Treaties, and G.A. Resolutions) and Human Rights Violations (All relevant Treaties/Agreements). The second and third reports illustrate a detailed picture about the diverse categories and statistics of human rights violations, such as crackdown of freedom defenders, ethnic minorities’ activists, religious converts, summary executions, etc., in different provinces of Iran. International entities’ careful and effective attention to the grave systematic human rights abuses in Iran would be of great help, and bring rays of hope to the Iranians again.
Satellite Signal Jamming: A Violation of Human Rights and International Rules
In addition to the grave systematic violations of fundamental human rights mentioned in the above reports, there are other cases of human rights abuses in Iran. Mention, inter alia, can be made of censorship and prevention of free flow of information through extensive orbital and terrestrial satellite jamming and internet filtering. This censorship is a violation of Article 15 of the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union and, more importantly, a blatant violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that stipulates, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
Moreover, the Iranian regime is accused of exposing their people to severe jamming signals which are said to be harmful to human body. The extent of adverse medical effects of jamming signals on the Iranian people is not clear since the Iranian authorities have never divulged the exact strength of the frequencies used to jam signals. However, some Iranian health organizations’ experts have given warnings, and even some Iranian officials and government institutions have confessed, about the negative health impacts caused by jamming: dizziness, chronic deafness, and different kinds of cancer such as skin cancer, blood cancer, and marrow cancer, as well as impact on human hormones which could lead to infertility.[1]
The Iranian government continues to send jamming signals. It is hereby suggested that the international community work on the ways to exert pressure on the Iranian regime to stop sending jamming signals. This would not only be sending a clear message of care by the world to the Iranian people, but it would also help the free flow of information, as a human right, in Iran to tremendously help the freedom seekers and opposition groups in their legitimate cause.
Footnote:
[1]
http://20ist.com/archives/12802 (This page was removed from the website later)
http://www.ebtekarnews.com/Ebtekar/News.aspx?NID=61505
http://parianet.blogsky.com/1390/01/19/post-4