Iran defends Holocaust denial at Durban II committee

Highlights from Durban II Drafting Committee Meeting, Jan. 19-23, 2009

A Russian-chaired U.N. committee met this week to revise the Draft Outcome Document of the Durban Review Conference, the upcoming sequel to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism. With countries commenting on each proposed article, the session was dominated by a vehemently anti-Western agenda, with Islamic and Third World countries equating counter-terrorism with racism, calling to restrict free speech in the name of Islamic sensitivities—the so-called defamation of Islam—and focusing on the practice of slavery in the West but barring mention of the slave trade in the Arab world and elsewhere. Worst of all, Iran and Syria used the forum to engage in Holocaust denial, while many countries demanded new provisions to condemn Israel as a racist and criminal state. The EU, a minority, played defence.

Following are highlights:


Iran Defends Holocaust Denial:

•Discussing proposed Paragraph 29 which provides that the Holocaust must never be forgotten and mentions that it resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, South Africa for the African Group asked that the paragraph be minimized, conforming to the Durban I declaration, to simply say, Recalls that the Holocaust never be forgotten, without mentioning that it resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people. South Africas proposal was supported by Jamaica and Iran. Syria also supported the proposal, saying, I don't think we should get into a kind of statistical debate. As far as I know that there is no agreement on the consensus on the percentage of those who perished in the Holocaust.

•When the EU proposed adding that remembrance of the Holocaust is critical to prevent further acts of genocide, Iran said, There is a notion inside this paragraph where there is talk about condemning without reservation any denial of Holocaust. This entails with it implicit restriction on elaboration and review, or critical examination and review and study of Holocaust—which is a very clear example of a violation of freedom of expression, a fundamental principle right for a democratic society. We suggest deletion of this paragraph.

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