Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran's message on Human Rights Day

Reza Pahlavi Of Iran’s Message On The Occasion Of 60th Anniversary Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
Sunday, December 9th, 2007
SOURCE

Dear compatriots,

Today on Human Rights Day and on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the United Nations prepares to launch a year-long programme of activities to celebrate the signing of this historic document, every principle of this Declaration is being trampled upon in our homeland.

It is ironic that while the moral and intellectual heritage of our nation was one of the major inspirations behind the genesis of human rights, Iranian citizens remain deprived and disinherited from their most basic freedoms.

Today Amnesty International and other monitoring organizations put Iran close to the top of their list of countries violating human rights. For the past twenty-eight years, no segment of Iranian society has been immune to abuses. Women, youth, workers, journalists, dissenting clerics, farmers, academics, religious and ethnic minorities have all at one time or another been target of flagrant violations.

The rulers of the Islamic Republic have done their utmost to distort the noble image of our country and present our people as promoters of terrorism, intolerance and hatred. They have sacrificed the individual rights of Iranian citizens at the altar of a fanatical ideology and for the preservation of their illegitimate hold on political power.

It is very clear to me that our nation will soon free itself from its present nightmare and claim its true heritage as a stronghold of human rights and defender of dignity and freedom. Giving my full support to the United Nations activities in the promotion of human rights, I call upon all my compatriots as well as the international community to stand together and oppose all manner of human rights violations against Iranian citizens perpetrated by the clerical dictatorship.

May God Bless Iran.

Reza Pahlavi