Human rights activists blast Iran, note rights abuses elsewhere

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Human rights groups and activists denounced Iran's government Monday for executing teenagers and discriminating against women, but acknowledged that Teheran's record on these issues was significantly better than in some other Middle Eastern nations. "One of the main aspects of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration is a broad crackdown on dissidents of all kinds (while) denying to acknowledge that anything of the sort is happening," said Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The UN's human rights department has condemned the Iranian government for allowing the executions of juveniles. Earlier this month, the Geneva-based body expressed deep concern over the execution of two boys who were 15 and 16 when sentenced to die in a murder trial. The activists also said that the situation regarding women's rights in Iran had deteriorated sharply since Ahmadinejad's hardline administration succeeded Muhammad Khatami in 2005. Labor rights also suffered, with a number of organizers jailed in recent months for trying to set up independent trade unions, said Akbar Ganji, a journalist and former political prisoner.