Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise a matter at U.N. and E.U. levels. [34664/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I drew attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran in my address to the UN General Assembly on 27 September. In my remarks, I called upon Iran to respect and fulfil the international obligations it has undertaken in the field of human rights. I referred to some profoundly disturbing recent instances of human rights abuses, including the appalling sentencing of Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to death by stoning for adultery. The case of Ms. Ashtiani had been raised previously with the Iranian Ambassador to Ireland by officials in my Department, who conveyed in the strongest terms that Ireland is completely opposed to the use of stoning, a practice which has no place in the twenty-first century.

I have also made clear our concerns about the treatment of human rights in Iran in contacts with members of the Iranian Government, most recently at a meeting which I had with Foreign Minister Mottaki in Dublin on 9 June. I have written to Foreign Minister Mottaki on a number of occasions to express my concerns about, and to raise specific aspects of, the human rights situation in Iran.

Ireland has also been active in raising issues relating to human rights in Iran within the specific UN bodies which deal with human rights. Along with our EU partners, we have traditionally supported the annual Resolution on the human rights situation in Iran which is adopted by the General Assembly. In our national intervention at the current UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on 17 September, we raised concerns relating to the death penalty in Iran. Stoning is a particularly cruel method of execution which amounts to torture. Such sentences are in clear violation of Iran's international obligations under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights. I urge the Iranian authorities to introduce a moratorium on executions pending the abolition of the death penalty in accordance with UN General Assembly resolutions 62/149 and 63/168.

The EU has also been pressing at the highest levels for Iran to abolish the practice of stoning and to meet its international human rights obligations. High Representative Ashton has issued a number of statements which criticised the treatment of human rights in Iran and which included a call upon the Iranian Government to revoke the death sentence in the case of Mrs Ashtiani. A detailed démarche was delivered on behalf of the EU in Tehran on 29 August in relation to the Ashtiani case and other human rights issues. In response, the Iranian authorities have indicated that the stoning sentence would not be applied and that Ms Ashtiani would not be executed for adultery. However, no clear commitment has so far been given that there are no circumstances in which the death sentence will be applied to Ms. Ashtiani. I call on Iran to provide such a commitment. Ireland will continue to raise our concerns on the human rights situation in Iran, both bilaterally and at multilateral organisations.