Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in welcoming the delegation which has made a very fair and balanced presentation. From what it is telling us about the life and career of Mr. Rezvani, it appears that he did nothing but good for his country and community and helped to bring badly needed services to his area. The persecution, Mr. Rezvani's murder and the imprisonment of many others are very disturbing. However, there appears to be a window of opportunity and we need to grasp this opportunity. The new President is making all the right noises, but as the delegation stated, he will be judged on his deeds. As parliamentarians, we must take every opportunity to drive home the strength of our feeling about human rights abuses in Iran.

Is there any real significance in the fact that the renowned human rights lawyer was released following her writing to the President? She may play a very significant role in helping to get other prisoners released. The committee should in the strongest possible way call for a full inquiry into the murder of Mr. Rezvani to have that issue resolved because there can be no confidence in the justice system if such an atrocious murder remains investigated and unpunished. I know the committee will be very supportive of the case the delegation has made.

I saw in the document the delegation sent to us that the President had promised a new civil rights charter and to ensure equality for all Iranian citizens. That commitment was met with widespread public approval throughout Iran. Therefore, with the international community, we must keep the pressure on to ensure he delivers on his commitment to introduce a new civil rights charter.

We look forward to continuing to work closely with the witnesses to improve the civil rights and human rights situation in Iran.