The UN Human Rights Council established the independent post
of special rapporteur on human rights in Iran on March 24, a move spearheaded
by Washington that will subject Tehran’s record to scrutiny.
The 47-member forum has voiced concern at Iran’s crackdown
on opposition figures and increased use of the death penalty and called on the
Islamic Republic to cooperate with its new envoy.
Shaheed’s appointment was announced by the council’s
spokesman Cedric Sapey at the end of a three-week session.
The United States and European Union voiced concerns this
week at human rights violations in Iran. The EU cited reports of torture,
arbitrary detention and unfair trials.
US human rights ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, in a
speech, condemned the killing of Iranian activist Haleh Sahabi at the funeral
of her prominent dissident father on June 1.
“Eyewitness accounts make it clear that she died as a result
of reprehensible actions by Iranian security forces,” Donahoe said of the
activist who was on release from prison herself when she died, having been
arrested during the unrest after Iran’s 2009 presidential election.
The semi-official Mehr news agency reported sporadic clashes
at the funeral but said the 54-year-old died of a pre-existing heart condition
and not because of rough handling.
UN officials say Iran has not allowed UN human rights
experts to visit since 2005, when hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected
president.
Even if the new rapporteur is not allowed into Iran, he
would still be expected to contact the government frequently about allegations
and produce an annual report incorporating testimony from activists and alleged
victims of abuse.
Shaheed resigned from his post as Maldives foreign minister
in August 2007, accusing conservative elements in the government of stalling on
democratizing reforms.
The now defunct UN Human Rights Commission had special
rapporteurs on Iran from 1984 to 2002.
