A/RES/60/171 (d) The continuing of public executions, including multiple public executions, and, on a large scale, other executions in the absence of respect for internationally recognized safeguards, and, in particular, deplores the execution of persons who were under the age of 18 at the time their offence was committed, contrary to the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights2 and in spite of the announcement of a moratorium on juvenile executions; (e) The continuing violence and discrimination against women and girls in law and in practice, despite some minor legislative improvements, and the refusal of the Guardian Council to take steps to address this systemic discrimination, noting in this context its rejection, in August 2003, of the proposal of the elected parliament to accede to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; 6 (f) The continuing discrimination, and other human rights violations against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, recognized or otherwise, including Arabs, Kurds, Baluchis, Christians, Jews and Sunni Muslims, the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against the Baha’i, including cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of freedom of religion or of publicly carrying out communal affairs, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities and the denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions, adequate housing and other benefits and recent violent crackdowns on Kurds; 3. Calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran: (a) To ensure full respect for the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion and expression, and the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs in accordance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and, in particular, to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views; (b) To ensure full respect for the right to due process of law, including the right to counsel and access to counsel by those detained, in criminal justice proceedings and, in particular, to ensure a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law, to end harassment, intimidation and persecution of defence lawyers and legal defenders and to ensure equality before the law and the equal protection of the law without any discrimination in all instances, including for members of religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minority groups, officially recognized or otherwise; (c) To eliminate, in law and in practice, the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, such as amputations and flogging, to end impunity for violations of human rights that constitute crimes by bringing the perpetrators to justice in accordance with international standards and, as proposed by the elected Iranian parliament, to accede to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; 7 _______________ 6 7 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. Ibid., vol. 1465, No. 24841. 3