The Hana Human Rights Organization expresses its profound concern and unequivocal condemnation of the recent declaration issued by the so-called “Human Rights Commission of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association,” which, in openly racist and non-legal language, referred to Kurdish citizens—an indigenous community of this land—as “Iraqi refugees.”
Such rhetoric constitutes a grave breach of fundamental human rights principles, stands in direct violation of Iran’s binding international obligations, and undermines the ethical and professional duties of the legal profession.
Under Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), all persons are equal before the law, and discrimination on grounds such as race, language, or ethnic origin is expressly prohibited. Similarly, Articles 2 and 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) categorically prohibit advocacy of racial or ethnic superiority. These prohibitions form part of jus cogens norms of international law and permit no derogation.
The Commission’s statement also violates the criteria set out in the Rabat Plan of Action (OHCHR, 2012), which establishes international benchmarks for identifying and countering incitement to hatred.
Furthermore, under international standards regulating the legal profession, this conduct contravenes the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (Havana, 1990), which emphasize the duty of lawyers to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms at all times. It is likewise incompatible with the ethical codes of the International Bar Association (IBA), which require impartiality, rejection of discrimination, and the promotion of justice. Human Rights Commissions within bar associations are entrusted with safeguarding the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, not with legitimizing racism.
The Hana Human Rights Organization underscores the dangers of normalizing structural discrimination against Kurds in Iran. History demonstrates the catastrophic consequences when jurists lend legal legitimacy to racist ideologies:
-In Nazi Germany, jurists crafted and endorsed racist laws that enabled the deprivation of Jews’ rights and paved the way for the Holocaust.
-In the former Yugoslavia, certain Serbian jurists provided the legal rationale for ethnic exclusion, facilitating ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Croatia.
The recent declaration of the Human Rights Commission of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association falls squarely within this dangerous trajectory: legitimizing systemic discrimination and contributing to the conditions for ethnic cleansing.
In light of the foregoing, the Hana Human Rights Organization calls for:
1. A formal and public apology from the East Azerbaijan Bar Association, the immediate dissolution of its so-called “Human Rights Commission,” and referral of its members to the Bar’s Disciplinary Tribunal.
2. Concrete compliance by the East Azerbaijan Bar Association with international standards of legal ethics, including mandatory training for all members—particularly those serving in commissions and committees—on human rights and the prohibition of discrimination.
The Hana Human Rights Organization warns that silence in the face of such conduct risks entrenching racist legal interpretations and repeating the tragic precedents of ethnic cleansing.
Hana Human Rights Organization
Geneva, 30 September 2025