- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 11 October 1979 (19th Sitting) (see Doc. 4398Doc. 4398, report of the Political Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 11 October 1979 (19th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Having noted the report of its Political Affairs Committee on the situation in Iran
(Doc. 4398) ;
3. Whilst congratulating the people of Iran who, by their resistance and long struggle, rid themselves of the authoritarian and repressive regime represented by the reign of the Shah, emphasises once again that the people of every country ought to enjoy the right to free choice of political system by means of free, secret elections ;
4. Recalling its own firm belief in democratic ideals, respect for human rights and the safeguard of public liberties, disregarded under the Shah and under the present government ;
5. Gravely concerned at the deterioration of the political situation in Iran, and condemning the disregard of the law, mass arrests and summary verdicts, executions, discrimination against women, violation of the freedom of the press and freedom of speech, and failure to respect the people's right to express their views in free elections ;
6. Gravely concerned by threats to religious and ethnic minorities, and by military operations and repression inside the country, which risk provoking a civil war endangering the territorial integrity of Iran ;
7. Considering that it is the duty of the international community, and in particular of those international bodies which have the vocation to watch over fundamental rights and freedoms, to promote co-operation in gaining respect for those rights, and to criticise their serious and repeated violation wherever it occurs,
8. Expresses its support and sympathy for the people of Iran and those political forces which, for so many years, have hoped for the establishment of a representative, democratic system guaranteeing freedom of the individual and economic and social justice ;
9. Understanding the legitimate desire of the Iranian people to punish criminals, appeals to the authorities in Iran to put an immediate stop to all summary and secret trials and executions ;
10. Appeals to the authorities in Iran to take immediate steps to set in motion democratic procedures leading to elections allowing freedom of expression to all political, religious and secular trends of thought ;
11. Expresses the hope that it will not be long before Europe is able to find in a democratic Iran a partner linked to her by shared principles of individual liberty, political freedom and the rule of law ;
12. Invites the governments of the member states of the Council of Europe to bear the present resolution in mind when considering their bilateral and multilateral policies towards Iran.
