Iranian Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial

Thank you Mr. President,

We have read yesterday the report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Anyone sitting in this room must feel very privileged. We are privileged to be able to sit here in Geneva, to speak freely to anybody, to wear whatever we want and to exchange ideas without any concern. Words such as ‘breach’, ‘violate’, ‘arrest’, ‘abuse’, ‘discrimination’, ‘persecution’ and ‘death’, that appear in this report so frequently, each represent hundreds of terrified civilians, political activists, human rights defenders, students, women and religious or gender and sexual minority groups that live in constant fear of their regime.

It must come as no surprise that the same regime that disrespects the human rights of its own citizens so bluntly, will show no respect to other nations, groups, religions and minorities. In recent months, the Iranian regime has announced the second cartoon contest on the theme of Holocaust Denial, where the most disturbing and offensive cartoonists that mock the suffering of hundreds of millions of people during WWII, will receive monetary reward. The world Jewish Congress strongly condemns the institutionalized Holocaust Denial by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and objects the cynical use of ‘freedom of expression’ by the same regime that according to this report, denies it from its own civilians so crudely.

Looking at the world today, we can easily see the thin thread that ties Racism, Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial with the suppression of human rights, state violence and terrorism. The World Jewish Congress encourages this council to strengthen its efforts in promoting Human Rights for all Iranians, regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual tendency.