H.E. Mr. Hossein Panahiazar:

We have distributed a paper on human rights. It sets out in detail the programme of the Iranian Government regarding human rights issues. I will speak briefly about Iran's co-operation with the UN Human Rights Council. We are working very closely with it. We have participated actively in the universal periodic review. Like Ireland and other countries, Iran has accepted many of the suggestions that have been made by the human rights council. We consider the establishment of the council as the right way to help to promote the human rights situation in all countries of the world, rather than a few selected countries. We have invited the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Iran.

The preparatory delegation has visited Iran and discussed with the authorities the meetings that will be arranged for the High Commissioner. We have invited all of the human rights thematic reporters to visit Iran. Several of them have already done so and we are trying to arrange more visits.

We are not closing the country to international observers. I am not saying the human rights situation in Iran is perfect. I do not think any country can claim it has a perfect human rights record. I am saying we are trying to do our best to improve the human rights situation in our country. There are articles in the constitution looking after all aspects of human rights.

The new criminal code which is in its last stages in parliament will establish a separate court for minors under the age of 18 years. That court will not impose sentences of execution. Minors will be dealt with differently. Some other punishments have been changed in the new criminal code. Following the universal periodic review, UPR, we are trying to follow up on what we agreed in that council. If one looks at the reasons for handing down sentences of execution, one can see that most of them relate to drug smuggling, which is one of our problems, but it is not only ours. Unfortunately, it is a world problem. Several years ago the level of drug production in Afghanistan was 200 tonnes. Now, it is more than 8,000 tonnes. Iran is one of the routes used to bring drugs out of Afghanistan. We are fighting against drug smuggling, the result of which is the suffering of young people in Iran, Europe and even the United States. All of us are suffering from it. A sentence of capital punishment is mostly implemented for drug smuggling.

The largest Jewish community in the region is in Iran. One can look at YouTube and see that members of the Jewish community in Iran are freely practising their religion. According to the Iranian constitution which has been approved by more than 90% of the people, four religious groups are formally accepted in it. They are Zoroastrianism, the oldest religion in Iran, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The number of churches in Iran is approximately 600. I do not think one would find as many in any other Middle Eastern country. The number of Jewish Kenisats is 35 - the Jewish population is very small - while the number of places for Zoroastrian worship is 33. These communities can either participate in general elections, in which their opportunity to gain a seat is very low, or in their own community elections to have a seat in Parliament. In the Iranian Parliament we have two Christian MPs, one Jewish and one Zoroastrian MP. They have equal rights with any other Member of Parliament. If members of the committee visit Iran, they can discuss with them and visit churches and other places of worship to see how they are worshipping.

This is also the case in central Tehran which I think Senator David Norris visited when he was in Iran. As he has left the meeting, he cannot help me in this regard. In central Tehran one can find a sports and entertainment complex that is exclusively used by Christians. Although, according to current rules, there are separate gyms for boys and girls in Iran, in that complex there are not separate gyms. Christians and other minorities enjoy their traditions and ways of life in their own way and do not seem to have problems. I do not say Iran is the best place in the world, but one should compare it to other countries in the region.