ITALY ON THE IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UNIVERSAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000114

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2020
TAGS: IT PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: ITALY ON THE IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UNIVERSAL
PERIODIC REVIEW SESSION

REF: SECSTATE 7242

Classified By: Political-Military Counselor J. Liam Wasley for reasons
1.4(b) and 1.4(d)


1. (C) Poloffs delivered reftel points to MFA Human Rights
Office Director Laura Carpini and to Gulf Desk Officer Silvia
Santangelo to seek support for U.S. views and solicit
recommendations to affect Iranian behavior on the occasion of
the upcoming U.N. Human Rights Council's (HRC) Universal
Periodic Review (UPR) of Iran. Carpini stated that the GOI
would be active in the process and would propose
recommendations on dealing with priority human rights issues.
The GOI focus, reported Carpini and Santangelo, would be on
the death penalty, and in particular the execution of minors;
on religious and ethnic minorities, with a focus on the
Baha'i and the Kurds; and on freedom of expression for press
and political activists. GOI points will also raise legal
concern for the guarantee of due process and a fair trial.
Carpini said it was important for all countries to ward
against procedural traps and the apologist statements of
other human rights violators, seeking to show political
solidarity. Santangelo said the GOI would submit points, but
had not yet decided if Italy would make a statement separate
from that of the EU.



2. (C) Santangelo and Carpini both noted that the GOI had
summoned the Iranian charge following the Ashura events; the
Director General for Middle East Luigi Marras had asked that
the Iranians show some sign of respect for human rights,
according to Santangelo. Marras reportedly also raised the
cases of American citizens being held in Iran, information
about which had been provided by poloff. The Iranian charge
responded that the events following Ashura were caused by a
terrorist movement (the MEK was mentioned) that was
infiltrating the country. The Iranian police, he argued, did
not carry weapons, thus it was not possible that the Iranian
police had caused any deaths. The election, he said,
represented the will of the Iranian people and must now be
respected. Santangelo remarked that FM Frattini has since
called on all EU countries to summon Ambassadors for a
similar demarche, and that EU countries were now doing so.


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3. (C) Santangelo noted that FM Frattini's planned meeting
with the Iranian Majlis Foreign Affairs Committee head
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, originally scheduled for January 21, had
been postponed until early February. Bouroujerdi will visit
at the invitation of Lamberto Dini, the Head of the Italian
Senate,s Commission on Foreign Policy. Boroujerdi,s visit
follows on Dini,s 2007 visit to Tehran, and the invitation
to visit Rome was reportedly long-standing. Poloff has asked
that Frattini raise the case of the detained American
citizens at that meeting as well.
THORNE