HCHR_Sharli Envie Tekiye, the representative of Assyrian and Chaldean Christians in the Parliament, made a speech at the 48th session of the UPR Working Group; the text of his speech is as follows:
In the Name of God
Mr. President;
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am a member of the Iranian Parliament as a representative of Assyrian and Chaldean Christians, and I also serve the people of my country in one of the most important positions in the country, as an observer representative in the Supreme Council of Architecture and Urban Planning. To achieve this position, 285 Muslim representatives have given me a vote of confidence as a Christian, and I am now serving in this position for the fifth consecutive year.
One of the aspects of cultural and social diversity in Iran is the existence of different ethnic groups and religious minorities, which is a manifestation of solidarity, unity, and national harmony. In Iran, everyone enjoys equal opportunities and rights, and even in some cases, positive discrimination has been provided for religious minorities. The most important measures taken in the field of religious minorities in the country are as follows:
- The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance's support for cultural, artistic, media, and religious activities of minorities across the country, in accordance with the amendment to Article 24 of the Regulations on Non-Governmental Organizations in June 2024;
- The Law to add two articles to the Islamic Penal Code regarding the criminalization of violence and spreading hatred against Iranian ethnicities or divine religions or Islamic sects; the free operation of about 300 churches, 16 synagogues and about 78 Zoroastrian places of worship and the restoration of 40 churches with financial support of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization; providing religious places, synagogues, churches, and fire temples of religious followers with tax exemptions and special discounts on water, electricity, and gas costs; and allocating special budgets, including appropriations from the Ministry of Interior to religious minority associations as positive discrimination, which has grown by 100 percent annually and a total of about $3.5 million has been paid from 2020 to 2024.
- Holding 376 gatherings including ritual ceremonies. It should be noted that the officials of my country, including the Supreme Leader, the heads of the three branches of government, and other officials, have always been present at the religious holidays and have congratulated the religious minority community on these holidays and have paid attention to honoring the martyrs of religious minorities. Last year, the funeral ceremony of the body of martyr Jani Bat Oshana, one of the martyrs of the Saddam regime's war against Iran, was held on a very large scale with the presence of high-ranking officials of the country and the people.
- Issuance of 69 activity permits for foreign religious representatives, including cardinals, bishops, and priests in Iran; activity of 56 organizations, including 28 in the Zoroastrian sphere, 15 in the Armenian sphere, 10 in the Assyrian sphere, and 3 in the Jewish community, in the field of religious, cultural, social, and welfare issues specific to religious minorities. It is worth mentioning that religious minorities use specialized press to raise awareness among their co-religionists.
- Publication of 157 books by religious minority publishers; Activity of 5 special schools for Jews, 38 special schools for Zoroastrians, and 50 schools for Assyrian Christians and Armenians, and providing education in their native language; activity of press institutions including "Alik", "Araks", and "Peyman" for Armenians, and "Assyrian Method" and "Assyrian Message" for Assyrian Christians; activity of 9 specialized branches of the Special Dispute Resolution Councils for Religious Minorities to handle claims related to personal status matters. Also, a special branch for handling cases of Zoroastrian compatriots was established at the Zoroastrian Association in Tehran in 2023.
Regarding employment and related rights, I would like to point out that the religious minority community has been and is active in large-scale investment projects in Iran.
Religious minority investors are present in many economic sectors, including livestock and poultry feed production, bitumen refineries, food and meat processing plants, international transportation companies, knowledge-based entrepreneurial companies, clothing manufacturing companies, insurance investment companies, large import-export companies in the fields of mobile phones, textiles, wooden products and household appliances, and construction contracting companies, and have always been supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Thanks for your attention