Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran
Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran (AHRAZ) is an independent organization with headquarter in Norway. The main purpose of AHRAZ is to conduct voluntary work in connection with the human rights (including political, religious, ethnic, cultural and social) situation of various minority populations in Iran with a special focus on those of the biggest, Azerbaijani Turks. The organization was established on the basis of a vision to inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote all forms of human rights universal and indivisible principles and standards, with a view to preventing and alleviating suffering of human rights victims in Iran, and thereby contributing to the promotion of respect for pluralism, non-discrimination, equality, democracy as well as maintenance of peace, sustainable development and peaceful co-existence in Iran and in the world.
The main goals of the organization are:
- To promote the realization of the rights established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within Iran, a country that stands in serious violation of human rights;
- To promote and encourage compliance of Iran with civil and political rights including the right to self-determination, elimination of discriminatory ideas and acts in order to achieve freedom, justice and peace and contribute to fulfilling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and its 2nd Optional Protocol on Abolition of Death Penalty;
- To promote and contribute to improving the economic, social and cultural rights and freedoms in Iran, in an attempt to encourage fulfilling the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and undertaking of non-discrimination in Iran;
- To promote implementation of international human rights norms and standards in Iran in terms of the international conventions on human rights, including promotion of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UN Declaration against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners , and so encourage respect for and adherence to these.
