A/RES/59/205
procedures by an independent and impartial judiciary, and in this context to ensure
respect for the rights of the defence and the equity of verdicts in all instances,
including for members of religious minority groups, officially recognized or
otherwise;
(f) To appoint an impartial prosecutor and to expedite the creation of offices
of the Prosecutor in all provinces, in keeping with the decision taken in November
2002 for their re-establishment;
(g) To eliminate all forms of discrimination based on religious grounds or
against persons belonging to minorities, including the Baha’is, Christians, Jews and
Sunnis, and to address this matter in an open manner, with the full participation of
the minorities themselves, and to ensure respect for the freedom of religion or belief
of all persons;
(h) To end amputation and flogging and all other forms of punishment that
are cruel, inhuman or degrading;
(i) To abolish the punishment of execution by stoning and, in the meantime,
to end the practice of stoning, as recommended by the head of the judiciary;
(j) To comply with its obligations under article 37 of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights not to impose the sentence of death for offences committed by persons below
18 years of age;
(k)
To vigorously pursue penitentiary reform;
4.
Encourages the thematic mechanisms of the Commission on Human
Rights, including the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and
lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders
to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran, and encourages the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran to cooperate with these special mechanisms and to respond fully to
their subsequent recommendations;
Decides to continue its examination of the situation of human rights in
5.
the Islamic Republic of Iran at its sixtieth session, under the agenda item entitled
“Human rights questions”, in the light of additional elements provided by the
Commission on Human Rights.
74th plenary meeting
20 December 2004
4