November 4, 2013 | Quote

How ‘Moderate’ Is Iran’s New President Rouhani? Just Ask Christians & Gays

When Hassan Rouhani won the Iranian presidential elections, he was touted widely in the mainstream media as “moderate” and “pragmatic” whose election portended a new direction for U.S.-Iranian relations. Now, as he is completing his first 100 days in office, a Washington-based research institute has examined the new leader’s record, raising serious questions as to just how moderate Rouhani really is.

Benjamin Weinthal, a research fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, writes that these first 100 days have “done little to improve Iran’s human rights record.”

Weinthal cites a long list of policies that might otherwise not be characterized as “moderate” by the media, including the prosecution of Christians for drinking communion wine during a religious service, the arrest of “homosexuals and devil worshippers,” the continued persecution of embattled practitioners of the Baha’i faith, and the uptick in executions in the Islamic Republic since the presidential elections.

Weinthal’s policy paper reports that harassment of homosexuals also continues, including the arrest by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of what it called “homosexuals and devil worshippers” at a birthday party last month.

Besides the raid of the party, journalist Siamak Ghaderi who has interviewed gay Iranians has been in prison since 2010 and was flogged in 2012, and Rouhani has reportedly refused to release him, according to Weinthal.

“Rouhani, for his part, has made no effort to free imprisoned Bahai religious leaders. Bani Dugal, a representative from the Baha’i International Community, now notes that ‘reports to our office actually indicate a worsening of the situation facing Baha’is in Iran,’” Weinthal writes.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ report notes that besides harassing non-Muslim minorities and the LGBT community, Iran has also increased its rate of executions since Rouhani took office.

“Iran’s regime imposed the death penalty on over 125 people during Rouhani’s tenure, including a record number of 50 executions during a two week period in September for principally drug-related offenses,” Weinthal writes. He notes, however, that Rouhani did release prominent political prisoners in advance of his visit to the United Nations in September.

Weinthal’s full report “Rouhani’s Failed Human Rights Promises” can be seen here.

Read the full Blaze report here.

Issues:

Iran Iran Human Rights