A/HRC/28/70 34. In November 2014, President Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet approved amendments to the Law on Access to Information of 2009 intended to allow access to details about the Government’s use of public funds. 26 On a relevant note, the head of the judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, announced that he had ordered the Prosecutor’s Office to monitor and summon anyone guilty of “overstating” government corruption.27 1. Draft bill to establish a media council 35. On 10 August 2014, a draft bill to establish a media council, which appears to expand government oversight of the media, was published.28 Journalists and legal experts have expressed serious concern regarding provisions in the draft law that give the Government a role in issuing licences to journalists and in investigating and issuing punitive measures for “professional misconduct”, including temporary bans from journalism and the revocation of licences.29 It is unclear what punitive measures, if any, would apply to individuals who engage in journalistic activities in the absence of licences. The Government reportedly decided to suspend the drafting of the bill in response to criticism; stating that further consultations with journalists were necessary.30 2. Political Crimes Bill 36. The Political Crimes Bill was introduced by Parliament in September 2013 and revised in June 2014. The Bill defines political crimes as activities that advance intentions to influence the country’s affairs, its administrative and political institutions or its domestic or foreign policies without intending to harm the tenets of the State. This includes insulting or defaming Members of Parliament and the Guardian Council, ministers and other government officials.31 The bill provides for public trial by jury for political and press offences. G. Freedom of peaceful assembly and association 37. In 2011, the Human Rights Committee noted that assemblies and the establishment of associations in the Islamic Republic of Iran were conditional on compliance with the “principles of Islam”, which national legislation failed to define (see CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3, para. 26). The Committee encouraged the Government to release anyone held solely for the peaceful exercise of those rights, and urged the Government to withdraw its parliamentary bill on the establishment and supervision of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which would establish a Committee chaired by the Ministry of the Interior and representatives from the Ministry of Intelligence to manage NGOs. 38. During the country’s universal periodic review in 2014, the Head of the High Council for Human Rights reported that over 17,000 NGOs were active and working on various issues in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the promotion and protection of human rights. Ongoing reports of the arrest of human rights activists for peacefully exercising legitimate rights demonstrate that protections for those rights are applied capriciously; moreover, the latest draft laws risk exacerbating the situation. 26 27 28 29 30 31 Mehr News Agency (semi-official news), 15 October 2014, http://mehrnews.com/news/2389693/. Mehr News Agency, 12 October 2014, http://mehrnews.com/news/2387790/. Official website of Parliament, http://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/790196. Iranian Labour News Agency (semi-official news), 27 August 2014, http://ilna.ir/news/news.cfm?id=199081. Shahrvand (semi-official news), 15 December 2014, http://shahrvand-newspaper.ir/?News_Id=16826. Official website of Parliament, http://rc.majlis.ir/fa/legal_draft/state/856746. 11