Statement by
Ms. Fatemeh Arab Bafrani
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Before the Third Committee of the 77th Session of the General Assembly
On “Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on UCMs”
New York, 14 October 2022
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Mr. Chair,
I would like to take this opportunity and appreciate the Special Rapporteur for her briefing and also, for her professional and constructive visit to my country from 7 to 18 May 2022.
The report of the visit elaborated on the negative and destructive impacts of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights of innocent people of Iran, targeted by the US and the EU and a certain number of other countries.
The report merely displays a part of the realities and facts, bitter narratives, and irreparable impacts of unilateral coercive measures on the fundamental rights of the Iranian people.
The Special Rapporteur’s findings emphasize on urgent necessity for the international community to adopt a responsible, accountable and committed approach towards the orchestrators and executors of the UCMs, especially the United States and its allies, underlining their international responsibility and accountability under international law.
We also would like to thank the SR for taking note of the accelerating expansion of unilateral sanctions involving cyber means or in cyberspace.
As duly noted in the latter report, victim countries, including Iran have been faced with numerous problems i.e. for buying software for medical equipment, procurement of equipment to monitor earthquakes, subscriptions to online services, disruption of payments, prevention of scholars from targeted countries submitting their articles for publication, including in online journals owing to their nationality. With the introduction of “sanctions clauses” from the very possibility, scholars and professionals from countries under sanctions face problems in gaining access to professional databases. In particular, Iranian and Syrian doctors could not get access to the PubMed medical database after its server had been transferred to Google. This results in discrimination, the isolation of scholars and professionals, and the impossibility of gaining access to knowledge.
Prevention of access to the Internet and information is the indirect result of imposing UCMs or sanctions. The sanctioning States are to be blamed for curtailing access to the internet as well as paving the way for the underdevelopment of infrastructures required for providing better and faster internet.
In the report, it is duly noted that the unavailability of necessary equipment, spare parts and software, and of financial transactions involving them, result in shrinking coverage areas for Internet communications in victim countries.
Iran has also suffered from restrictive measures applied by the EU Commission imposed against a couple of countries, including Iran.
To conclude, Mr. Chairman,
The imposition of unilateral coercive measures further undermines “multilateralism”, disrupts the “international order” by challenging “international peace and solidarity” and weakens the States’ “joint responsibility” based upon the Charter of the United Nations.
I thank you Mr. Chairman