Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani unveiled a landmark bill of rights on Monday, guaranteeing freedom of speech, protest, fair trials and privacy, saying the achievement was “one of my oldest dreams”.
Although many of the rights are already enshrined in Iran’s constitution written after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Rouhani said it offered the first clear list of principles that could be used to check the performance of state institutions.
“I’m very pleased that today one of my most important promises is being delivered and I am achieving one of my oldest dreams,” Rouhani told officials in a televised ceremony.
Rouhani said the authorities should respect limits on their powers.
“No one is allowed to enter another person’s house, shop or private workplace without the permission of the owner… in the name of discovering whether crimes or sins have been committed,” he said, quoting the founder of the Islamic revolution, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The Iranian president said the bill was not yet a formal law, but “must be implemented by everyone”.
A new “special deputy for citizenship rights” will work with government departments to draw up reform plans and check their progress with annual reports.
“One of the major demands of Iranian people is citizenship rights,” said Rouhani.
“This bill is a call by the Iranian nation against some arrogant Western countries who think they are ahead of Third World countries in human rights.”
Source: Agencies
