Iranian human rights violations show up Rouhani’s empty promises

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters) The human rights situation has been deteriorating to an unprecedented level in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This highlights the empowerment of the hard-line judiciary system and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the so-called moderate administration of President Hassan Rouhani. Specifically, several groups have become the Iranian regime’s targets. The first category is linked to religious and ethnic minorities, including the Arabs, Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, Sunnis, Christians and Baha’is. The situation has become so alarming that the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, recently urged Tehran to “ensure that all those who reside in the country have equal protection before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief.” It is important to point out that the Islamic Republic is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This means...