President Hassan Rouhani said a civil rights charter, whose formulation is in process, can act as a good basis for empathy and rapport in the country.
"The government will base the charter on the Constitution and the positive law," IRNA quoted the president as saying. At a meeting with officials of the judicial branch on Monday on the occasion of Nowruz, Rouhani said he is committed to devising a plan for upholding human rights, as he had promised to the nation in his presidential campaign.
"Once the civil rights charter is drawn up, it can also act as a sound foundation for promotion of human rights in the country and help counter the iniquitous claims against the Islamic Republic in this field to prove our legitimacy," he noted.
Branches as Pioneers
The president called on the three branches of government to be pioneers in promoting empathy and rapport. He hoped for continuation of achievements for the nation in the current Iranian year (started March 21), which was named by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei the year of "Government and Nation; Harmony and Unanimity."
Rouhani said the public should be able to observe harmony among the branches and government departments, as "when the people see that the law is the main criterion and authorities respect the law even more than others, trust and empathy will be enhanced which can be a foundation for the growth of the society in spiritual and material aspects."
Describing the judicial branch as a haven for the people, the president said the judiciary has been always considered the ultimate place to administer justice.
He also underlined the independence of the branches from each other and the need that people can see that parties, media, groups, and factions are "all equal before the law."
The office of the vice president for legal affairs in 2013 released the draft of a civil rights charter it had prepared in cooperation with academics, legal experts, intellectuals, and thinkers. The document has not been officially finalized yet.
