Iran

Iran

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	Article 21 of the Supplementary Constitutional Law of 7 October 1907 states the following:"Societies and associations which do not provoke religious or civil strife are free throughout the realm; but their members must be unarmed and must obey the regulations which the law on this subject shall lay down. Meetings in the high roads or public squares must be held in accordance with the laws of the police." Under Article 26 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1979), “The formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations, as well as religious societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to one of the recognized religious minorities, is permitted provided they do not violate the principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic Republic. No one may be prevented from participating in the aforementioned groups, or be compelled to participate in them” (constituteproject.org). References: Wright, Herbert F. Constitutions of the States at War 1914-1918 . Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.: https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/stwar0001&id=499&men_tab=srchresults# “Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (Rev. 1989) Constitution.” Constitute. Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989.
Freedom of Expression	History	Article 18 of the Supplementary Constitutional Law of 7 October 1907 reads: "The acquisition and study of arts, letters and sciences is free, except in so far as they are forbidden by the Sheri." Article 20 of the same document states: "All publications, except heretical works containing matter harmful to the religion of Islam, are free, and are exempt from censureship. Whenever anything contrary to the law of the press is found in them, the publisher or author will be punished in accordance with that law. If the author is well known and resident in Persia, the publisher, printer and distributor shall be secured from any action being brought against them." References: Wright, Herbert F. Constitutions of the States at War 1914-1918 . Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.: https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/stwar0001&id=499&men_tab=srchresults#
Freedom of Religion	History	The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran was ratified on December 3, 1979. Articles 12 and 13 establish religious freedoms and restrictions in Iran. Article 12 states that “the official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja'farî school [in usul al-Dîn and fiqh], and this principle will remain eternally immutable… These schools enjoy official status in matters pertaining to… affairs of personal status (marriage, divorce, inheritance, and wills) and related litigation in courts of law” while Article 13 provides for freedom of other religious minorities “Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized religious minorities, who, within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education” (constituteproject.org). References: “Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (Rev. 1989) Constitution.” Constitute. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989. Ramazani, Rouhollah K. “Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Middle East Journal 34, no. 2 (1980): 181–204. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4326018.
Freedom of the Press	History	Article 20 of the Supplementary Constitutional Law of 7 October 1907 reads: "All publications, except heretical works containing matter harmful to the religion of Islam, are free, and are exempt from censureship. Whenever anything contrary to the law of the press is found in them, the publisher or author will be punished in accordance with that law. If the author is well known and resident in Persia, the publisher, printer and distributor shall be secured from any action being brought against them." Today, Article 24 of the 1979 Iranian Constitution discusses protections for press freedom, with some caveats: “Publications and the press have freedom of expression except when it is detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam or the rights of the public. The details of this exception will be specified by law” (Constitute Project, “Iran (Islamic Republic of)'s Constitution of 1979 with Amendments through 1989” ). References: Wright, Herbert F. Constitutions of the States at War 1914-1918 . Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.: https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/stwar0001&id=499&men_tab=srchresults# “Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (Rev. 1989) Constitution.” Constitute. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989.
Privacy Rights	History	Some elements of what we would consider the right to privacy were guaranteed in the Supplementary Constitutional Law of 7 October 1907. Article 13 of that document focused on privacy in the home: "The dwelling-place and house of every individual is inviolable. In no dwelling-place can forcible entry be made, except by order of, and in the manner defined by, law." Article 22 discussed correspondence: "Postal communications are inviolable and exempt from seizure or opening, except in cases in which the law makes exception." Article 23 focused on telegraphy: "The publication or seizure of telegraphic communications without the permission of the author of the telegram is forbidden, except in cases in which the law makes exception." While the constitution of Iran does not protect privacy, it does guarantee protection of the law which conforms with Islamic Law in Article 20 (Constitute Project, “Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 rev. 1989” ). Islam provides such protections within the Quran (Hayat, M.H., “Privacy and Islam: From the Quran to data protection in Pakistan”). References: Wright, Herbert F. Constitutions of the States at War 1914-1918 . Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.: https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/stwar0001&id=499&men_tab=srchresults# iran Constitution 1979: https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_ 1989? lang=en Muhammad Aslam Hayat (2007) Privacy and Islam: From the Quran to data protection in Pakistan, Information & Communications Technology Law, 16:2, 137-148
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Under Article 62, the Islamaic Consultative Assembly is elected directly by the people through a secret ballot. Eligible voters must either be birthright citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran or naturalized citizens and of an age dictated by referendums and law. Under Article 6, the President and referendums must also be voted on by the public. (Constitute Project, “Iran’s (Islamic Republic of) Constitution of 1979 with Amendments through 1989” ). References: “Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (Rev. 1989) Constitution.” Constitute. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989.