Rouhani’s Remarks on Human Rights
During Rouhani’s election campaign he made several promises to respect human rights and uphold the “rights of the people.” Below is a selection of quotes from his campaign appearances.
April 11, 2013 [Video]
“All Iranian people should feel there is justice. Justice means equal opportunity. All ethnicities, all religions, even religious minorities, must feel justice.”
“Long live citizenship rights!”
May 27, 2013 [Video]
“Justice means that anyone who wants to speak in a society should be able to come out, speak their mind, criticize and critique without hesitation and stammering.”
June 4, 2013 [Video]
“In the future cabinet, in all social areas, discrimination among men and women will be eliminated.”
“All people of Iran must feel justice and justice means equal opportunity.”
June 8, 2013 [Video]
“If I am bestowed with the responsibility, I will return dignity back to the university and students.”
[After the audience chants “Political prisoners must be freed”] “Why political prisoners? We must do something for all these prisoners to be released.”
“With the help of the country’s hard-working police, I will do something to establish real security on all streets, so that our girls can feel safe on the streets. I shall not allow an anonymous force to ask anyone questions.”
“I will draft [a law based on] chapter three of the [Iranian] constitution, ‘The Rights of the People.’ I shall send it to the Parliament and will present it to the nation as law.”
“In citizenship rights, the Kurds, the Fars, the Baluchis, the Turkman, and the Arabs are equal.”
“Those who have been dismissed from the university because of expressing their opinions must return.”
June 10, 2013 [Video]
“I will implement Article 15 of the [Iranian] constitution. It is the people’s right to be able to decide about their mother tongue.”
“I will draft and implement citizenship rights. In citizenship rights there is no minority and majority. Kurd, Azeri, Turkman, Baluch, Lur, Arab, and Fars will all be equal.”
“In the Wisdom and Hope government, a professor will no longer be dismissed for a criticism.”
“In the Wisdom and Hope government, the stars will only be in the Iranian sky. We will not have ‘starred’ students.”
