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DEFENDERS
4
Spr ing&Summer
2 0 1 5
Iran: Nuclear Talks and
Human Rights
After nearly 20 months of crammed talks
between Iran, the EU and 5+1 (five permanent
members of the Security Council, China, Russia,
the United States, Britain, France, and Germany)
an agreement was finally reached on 14 July
under the heading of Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action in Vienna, Austria.
Based on this Plan, Iran will suspend a major
part of its nuclear activities, and will facilitate the
IAEA inspectors to make extensive inspections,
and in return, alongside the preservation of the
country’s right to enrich uranium, all nuclear
related sanctions which the UN, the United States
and the EU had imposed over the last few years,
will be lifted. Although the procedures set in the
agreement, makes reaching practical conclusions
and long process, and it cannot be expected that
in the short run notable changes occurs in the
welfare of the people of Iran and their release
from the binds of anti-human rights sanctions,
but overall, the positive psychological effects of
the agreement, both for Iran and the 5+1 and the
international order and the Middle East region
development ismost certainly visible and even
measurable.
In all of this, one subject that even before the
agreement had been reached was discussed in
medias active in human rights was the possible
effect of this agreement on the human rights
situation of Irn. There were and are two different
views in this regard.
One view believes that with the improvement
of Iran’s relations with other countries and the
reduction of pressure on the Islamic Republic
on the pretext of nuclear activities, the Iranian
government will probably have more space and
power to increase pressure, and in amore reassured
way suppress the opposition and as a result the
human rights situation of Iran will deteriorate.
Asecond viewwhich is more optimistic and says
that with the improvement of Iran’s international
relations and systematic Iranophobic atmosphere
By: Mahmoudreza Golshanpazhooh (P.h.d)
Human Rights Issues Expert