Controversy in Iran over child rights convention
Parliamentarians have announced their opposition to the bill, saying that it will restrain the activities of the Student Basij
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s General “Mohammad Reza Naghdi” along with some members of the Iranian regime’s parliament have announced their opposition to the bill to join the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, stating that joining will lead to closure of the Student Basij, the regime’s paramilitary force.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran quoted Naghdi as saying “This is against the Islamic law according to which a person has a duty to fight upon reaching the age of puberty (in Iran 9 years old for girls and 15years old for boys) whereas joining this convention is prohibiting a Muslim from doing his responsibility.”
Naghdi stated that joining the Convention on the Rights of the Child is “totally irrational” and that “it’s not going to happen.” He added “This is by no means possible that we ask millions of young people who are ready and organized to defend their country, to put their guns down and put their trainings away and go sit at their houses. This is a retreat and our Basijies will never retreat.”
The Commander of Basij also said: “We are not obliged to join this convention. This is totally irrational and there is no reason we voluntarily do something that we are not obliged to.”
In an interview with the same news agency, the Revolutionary Guard’s Ali Fazli, Deputy to Naghdi in Basij, has asked the parliament to reject the bill for joining the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Fazli stated that joining the convention is like “surrendering our power and start begging instead.” He added: “We had 36,000 student martyrs who were allowed to go to the front line when they reached their puberty.”
Parliamentarians like Akbar Torki, Javad Hosseini Kia, and Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, and also delegates of Faridan, Songhor city and Shahin Shahr city, have announced their opposition to the bill, saying that it will restrain the activities of the Student Basij. According to the website.
This article was originally published in Arabic at AlArabiya.net
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