WASHINGTON: The United Nations has appointed Javaid Rehman, aBritish-Pakistani legal scholar, as UN Special Rapporteur on the Situationof Human Rights in Iran.
Mr Rehman succeeds Asma Jahangir who passed away in February at age 66. MrRehman’s appointment was announced on Saturday during the 38th session ofthe UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The UN special rapporteur can hold office for six years at most. Tehran hasalways rejected reports of the rapporteurs on the Situation of Human Rightsin Iran as biased, politically motivated and invalid.
Iran claims that UN rapporteurs mostly use sources opposed to the Islamicrepublic system for their reports on the situation in the country.
In 1984, the UNHRC appointed Andrés Aguilar of Venezuela as its firstspecial representative to Iran. Tehran refused to engage with him and heeventually resigned, saying he was doing so because he was “unable topersuade Iranian officials to cooperate with him in any way”.
In May, the UNHRC issued a list of three candidates — Javaid Rehman ofPakistan, Miloon Kothari of India and Antonio Stango of Italy — andeventually selected Mr Rehamn.
Mr Rehman is professor of international human rights law and Muslimconstitutionalism at Brunel University in London.
He has advised international human rights bodies, tribunals and courts onhuman rights issues, including the prohibition of torture, counterterrorismand minority rights.
As a human rights advocate, Mr Rehman has engaged with a range ofstakeholders at the United Nations, the Council of Europe,
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the South Asian Association ofRegional Cooperation.
He has also advised non-governmental organisations in the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Northern Ireland and in Pakistan on substantive legalissues as well as on implementation mechanisms, appeal procedures andadvocacy campaigns.