The ICJ has for some time been following with interest and concern developments concerning the advancement and protection of human rights in Iran.
In doing so it has sought to examine these issues with an understanding of the economic, social and political problems confronting the country.
As is well known the movement towards greater parliamentary democracy since World War II has yielded to an authoritarian one-party regime under the firm control of the Shah. Under this regime important social reforms have been taking place under the name of the White Revolution.
In 1975 the Commission decided to try to obtain further information relating to human rights in Iran, including economic and social rights as well as civil and political rights.
To this end they arranged for two distinguished lawyers, Mr. William J. Butler, Member of the International Commission of Jurists and Chairman of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on International Human Rights, and Professor Georges Levasseur of the University of Paris II, to visit Iran.
Like other visitors to Iran, they experienced great difficulty in collecting first hand information about the operation of the military tribunals or the organisation and activities of the SAVAK security police.
The International Commission of Jurists has decided to publish the reports of these two jurists as a contribution to the understanding of the legal system and the situation concerning human rights in Iran.
Iran-human rights and the legal system-thematic report-1976-eng (full text in English, PDF)