Concluding Observations Committee on the Rights of the Child CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 para
32
Full recommendation:
The Committee recommends that the State party take effective measures, including
accountability, to put an end to discrimination against religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities,
children born out of wedlock and asylum-seeking and refugee children, and that it ensures that
those responsible for any forms of discrimination against such groups are held accountable.
Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party decriminalise same-sex relations
and take measures to eliminate discrimination against LGBTI children.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
A. Religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities
Article 19 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran guarantees that all people in Iran
enjoy equal rights, “regardless of the tribe or ethnic group to which they belong” and that
“colour, race, language, and other such considerations shall not be grounds for special
privileges”. Though this article seemingly protects ethnic and linguistic minorities, the
constitution omits religious identity or identity formed around belief as protected characteristics.
Additionally, Article 14 of the Constitution sets out that the government and Muslims in Iran are
“duty-bound to treat non-Muslims in conformity with ethical norms and the principles of Islamic
justice and equity, and to respect their citizen rights,”2 but this duty applies only to those “who
refrain from engaging in conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran”3,
a charge that is regularly levelled against certain religious minorities and other ethnic groups.4
Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran provides that the Zoroastrians,
Jewish and Christians religious minorities “are free to perform their religious rites and
ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious
education” as long as it is “within the framework of the law”.5 On the other hand, there are no
CRC.8.1.S.1; ; CCPR.27.2 S.1; CRC.8.1.S.1; CRC.28.1.S.2.1; CRC.30.1.S.1
CCPR.27.1.P.2; CRC.30.1.P.3
CRC.8.1.O.2; CCPR.2.1.O.2; CRC.8.1.O.2; CRC.30.1.O.3; CRC.28.1.O.3
2
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, General Principles (Chapter I, Article 14):
http://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution.php
3
Ibid.
4
See more: Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee, 2020, All Human Rights for All in Iran; Association for Human
Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva (KMMK-G); Association for the Human Rights Of The Azerbaijani People In Iran (AHRAZ); Iran
Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC); OutRight International; Siamak Pourzand Foundation; Small Media; Impact
Iran, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf
5
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran English translation,
http://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution_ch01.php
1