[caption id="attachment_153106" align="alignright" width="154"] Member of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, Professor Jean Ziegler[/caption]
Tehran, Feb 26, IRNA -- Professor Jean Ziegler, a member of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee in remarks made about the international sanctions against Iran at the 14th session of the Committee in Geneva urged the Council to address the issue of human rights violence caused by unilateral sanctions.




Addressing the review session of Human Rights and Unilateral Coercive Measures (item 3) in Geneva on Tuesday, Ziegler said Iran is suffering from three groups of sanctions: sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the EU, and the US.

“For humanitarian reasons medical supplies and drugs have been excluded from Iran sanctions, however, due to financial sanctions in place Iran is not able to import the necessary medicine” he added. Moreover, he noted that even Switzerland which is not a member of the EU but has joined the financial sanctions, is facing serious problems in exporting medical supplies and drugs to Iran, 'because pharmaceutical firms are not willing to risk violating financial sanctions.'

“There has been an incremental increase in cancer rates and many new kinds of cancer have been observed in Iran,” Ziegler pointed out, adding: “Some of the drugs for cancer and other dangerous diseases are only produced in developed countries, which have caused in the death of many people due to lack of access to these drugs.”

In conclusion, Ziegler requested the Human Rights Council to address the issue of human rights violation caused by unilateral sanctions.


By IRNA