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1 April 3, 2019 Open Letter Calling for the Release of Nasrin Sotoudeh: We, the Parliamentarians of Canada, Call for the Governm

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1 April 3, 2019 Open Letter Calling for the Release of Nasrin Sotoudeh: We, the Parliamentarians of Canada, Call for the Governm April 3, 2019 Open Letter calling for the release of Nasrin Sotoudeh: We, the Parliamentarians of Canada, call for the Government of Iran to release Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer who has been detained in Iran’s Evin Prison since June 2018. In March 2019, Ms. Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. We acknowledge that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are integral to ensuring the rule of law and the functions of democracy. These fundamental principles are clearly defined in international law and are the inherent right of all people. Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights lawyer who has dedicated both her career and her life to safeguarding the rights of Iranians. Ms. Sotoudeh has advocated on behalf of activists and political prisoners, and in particular those who have stood up for the rights of women and girls in Iran. As a result of her advocacy, since 2010 Ms. Sotoudeh has been imprisoned four times by Iranian officials. As part of a peaceful protest in 2018, Ms. Sotoudeh removed her hijab, wrapped it around a stick, and waved it like a flag. This act of justified political expression inspired other women and girls in Iran to do the same. These women and girls were then prosecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and Ms. Sotoudeh represented them in her capacity as a lawyer. For this, in June 2018 Ms. Sotoudeh was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted in absentia. She is currently detained in Evin Prison, which is notorious for its use of torture and inhumane treatment of political prisoners, contrary to international human rights protocols. Democracy does not leave space for a culture of fear and repression. Following the Iranian Green Movement in 2009, and in the wake of political and social change in neighbouring countries, the Government of Iran has used fear and repression to stifle the voices of those seeking change. The Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran released in September 2018 has indicated that there are serious violations regarding basic civil and political rights in Iran, including rights to due process and fair trial. We call upon the Government of Iran to respect its obligations under international human rights law, including its obligations outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We note that Article 9 prohibits arbitrary arrest, and Article 10 mandates that all people 1 who have been deprived of their liberty must be treated with humanity and respect. In consideration of the use of torture in Iran’s Evin prison, we call on the Government of Iran to ratify the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. These core civil and political rights are essential in any democratic society. The suppression of dissidence in Iran has been coupled with the repression of women’s rights, as the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has indicated that Iranian laws continue to discriminate against women and girls. Given our commitment to gender equality, we call on the Government of Iran to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women. We also draw attention to Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that all people are equal before the law and have the right to the equal protection of the law. In recognizing the situation for women in Iran, we stand in sombre admiration of Ms. Sotoudeh, who has demonstrated to the world that Iranian women will not be silenced. As the Parliament of Canada, we stand in solidarity with the international community, including the European Parliament and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, and call on the Government of Iran to release Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners who have been unjustly imprisoned. Sincerely, The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator for Saskatchewan The Honourable Linda Frum, Senator for Ontario The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, Senator for Manitoba Supported by: The Honourable Terry Mercer, Senator for Nova Scotia (Northend Halifax) The Honourable Lillian Eva Dyck, Senator for Saskatchewan 2 The Honourable Larry Campbell, Senator for British Columbia The Honourable Michael Duffy, Senator for Prince Edward Island (Cavendish) The Honourable Claude Carignan, P.C., Senator for Quebec (Mille Isles) The Honourable Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu, Senator for Quebec (La Salle) The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, Senator for Ontario The Honourable André Pratte, Senator for Quebec (De Salaberry) The Honourable Tony Dean, Senator for Ontario The Honourable Nancy J. Hartling, Senator for New Brunswick The Honourable Diane Griffin, Senator for Prince Edward Island The Honourable Éric Forest, Senator for Quebec (Gulf) The Honourable David Richards, Senator for New Brunswick 3 The Honourable Mary Coyle, Senator for Nova Scotia (Antigonish) The Honourable Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador The Honourable Pierre J. Dalphond, Senator for Quebec (De Lorimier) The Honourable Peter Boehm, Senator for Ontario The Honourable Josée Forest-Niesing, Senator for Ontario The Honourable Pat Duncan, Senator for Yukon The Honourable Rosemary Moodie, Senator for Ontario The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, P.C., MP for Calgary Forest Lawn, Alberta The Honourable Judy Sgro, P.C., MP for Humber River – Black Creek, Ontario The Honourable Larry Bagnell, P.C., MP for Yukon David Anderson, MP for Cypress Hills – Grasslands, Saskatchewan 4 James Bezan, MP for Selkirk – Interlake – Eastman, Manitoba Dean Allison, MP for Niagara West, Ontario Irene Mathyssen, MP for London – Fanshawe, Ontario Linda Duncan, MP for Strathcona Edmonton, Alberta Guy Caron, MP for Rimouski-Neigette – Témiscouata Murray Rankin, MP for Victoria, British Columbia Sheri Benson, MP for Saskatoon West, Saskatchewan Arnold Viersen, MP for Peace River – Westlock, Alberta Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP for Beaches – East York, Ontario Rachael Harder, MP for Lethbridge, Alberta Mark Gerretsen, MP for Kingston and the Islands, Ontario Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East, British Columbia 5 Michael Levitt, MP for York Centre, Ontario Ali Ehsassi, MP for Willowdale, Ontario 6 Le 3 avril 2019 Lettre ouverte demandant la libération de Nasrin Sotoudeh : Nous, parlementaires du Canada, demandons au gouvernement iranien de libérer Nasrin Sotoudeh, avocate spécialiste des droits de la personne, qui est détenue à la prison d’Evin depuis juin 2018. En mars 2019, Mme Sotoudeh a été condamnée à 38 ans de prison et à 148 coups de fouet. Nous jugeons que les libertés d’expression et de réunion pacifique sont essentielles à la primauté du droit et à l’exercice de la démocratie. Ces principes fondamentaux sont bien définis dans le droit international et font partie de nos droits inhérents à tous. Nasrin Sotoudeh, avocate spécialiste des droits de la personne, a consacré sa carrière et sa vie à la protection des droits des Iraniens. Mme Sotoudeh a défendu des militants et des prisonniers politiques, surtout des gens qui se sont portés à la défense des droits des femmes et des filles en Iran. Les responsables iraniens ont edéputérisonné quatre fois Mme Sotoudeh depuis 2010 pour avoir défendu ces droits. Pendant une manifestation pacifique, en 2018, Mme Sotoudeh a enlevé son hidjab, l’a enroulé autour d’un bâton et l’a agité comme s’il s’agissait d’un drapeau. Cet acte légitime d’expression politique a inspiré d’autres Iraniennes à faire comme elle. Ces femmes et des jeunes filles ont été traduites en justice pour avoir exercé leur liberté d’expression, et Mme Sotoudeh a été leur avocate. En juin 2018, Mme Sotoudeh a reçu une peine d’emprisonnement de cinq ans après avoir été condamnée par contumace. Elle est actuellement incarcérée à la prison d’Evin, où il est bien connu que les prisonniers politiques subissent de la torture et des actes de cruauté, contrairement aux conventions internationales sur les droits de la personne. La démocratie est incompatible avec un climat de peur et de répression. Après le Mouvement vert qui a secoué l’Iran en 2009, et dans la foulée des changements sociopolitiques qui se sont produits dans les pays voisins, le gouvernement iranien a eu recours à la peur et à la répression pour étouffer la voix des gens qui réclament du changement. Dans le Rapport du rapporteur spécial sur la situation des droits de l’homme en Iran de septembre 2018, on mentionne de graves violations des droits civils et politiques fondamentaux en Iran, dont le droit à l’application régulière de la loi et à un procès équitable. 1 Nous demandons au gouvernement iranien de respecter les obligations du droit international en matière de droits de la personne, dont les obligations définies dans le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques. L’article 9 de ce document interdit les arrestations arbitraires, et l’article 10 prévoit que toute personne privée de sa liberté soit traitée avec humanité et respect. Compte tenu du recours à la torture dans la prison d’Evin, nous demandons au gouvernement iranien de ratifier la Convention contre la torture et autres peines ou traitements cruels, inhumains ou dégradants. Ces droits civils et politiques fondamentaux font partie intégrante de toute société démocratique. La répression de la dissidence en Iran s’accompagne de répression des droits des femmes. En effet, selon le Rapport du rapporteur spécial sur la situation des droits de l’homme en Iran, la loi iranienne est encore discriminatoire à l’endroit des femmes et des filles. En vertu du principe cardinal de l’égalité des sexes, nous demandons au gouvernement iranien de ratifier la Convention sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l’égard des femmes.
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