Breach of U.S Extraterritorial Obligations through Unilateral Economic Sanctions against Iran and Competence of International Human Rights Bodies

Subject Areas : International Relations

Amir Maghami ¹ (Department of Law and Political Science, Yazd University)
Ali Akbar Jafari Nadoushan ² (Department of Law Political Science, Yazd University)

Received: 2020-12-27 Accepted : 2021-12-29 Published : 2021-11-22

Keywords: Sanctions, Human Rights Council, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on Economic social and Cultural Rights, Extraterritorial Obligations,

Abstract :

US Unilateral sanctions against Iran aimed at changing the behavior or change of the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran have directly and indirectly led to the violation of Iranian people human rights, and in particular to the challenge of economic rights. The present descriptive-analytical paper shows that these sanctions violate extraterritorial commitments to respect to human rights and international cooperation by US. Among international human rights organizations, the Human Rights Council has the authority to hear them through Universal Periodic Reports (UPR) procedure or through special procedures. The council can also address individual complaints about human rights violations due to sanctions, in which case, in addition to the US government, third-party States with international Responsibility can also be sued. The competence of other international human rights organizations and even the International Criminal Court (in terms of the relationship between crimes against humanity and human rights) is further assessed.