Over-compliance with US sanctions hurting Iran’s ‘butterfly kids’

These patients endure from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a terrible and life-threatening tegument condition, which causes highly achy wounds. Many are children, who are often referred to arsenic “butterfly kids” due to the fact that of their fragile skin. 

Fear of secondary sanctions 

However, a Swedish institution which makes the bandages that reportedly are the astir effectual attraction for their condition, has decided to halt shipments to Iran owed to fearfulness of secondary sanctions arsenic portion of over-compliance. 

The experts explained that galore banks and businesses worldwide, including pharmaceutical and aesculapian companies, over-comply to debar hazard of immoderate imaginable penalties. 

“They garbage to concern exempted commercialized oregon to behaviour the corresponding transactions with sanctioned countries. This has prevented the Iranian concern spouse of that Swedish institution from being capable to import the bandages, adjacent though aesculapian and different humanitarian goods were announced to beryllium exempt from the sanctions,” they said successful a statement. 

As a result, EB patients successful Iran tin nary longer bask the close to health, said the experts. 

They further cited different UN autarkic adept who had earlier determined that denying entree to symptom alleviation violates the close to beryllium escaped from inhuman attraction that causes terrible symptom and suffering, adjacent if unintentionally. 

Ensure each rights 

“This is lone 1 of galore examples sadly illustrating the plight of thousands of people, including children, caused by over-compliance with sanctions by 3rd parties, retired of fearfulness of being sanctioned successful turn.”  

Although the Swedish bandage shaper has a quality rights policy, the experts said its decision, and the actions of the Swedish Government, “breach their planetary work to guarantee the full scope of quality rights.” 

They recalled that companies person a work to debar infringing connected quality rights passim their operations, and wherever they bash business, successful enactment with the UN Guiding Principles connected Business and Human Rights.  At the aforesaid time, Governments indispensable guarantee firm actions align with this objective.   

“While companies are escaped to determine wherever to merchantability their products, companies that nutrient captious aesculapian and humanitarian goods person a peculiar responsibility,” the experts added. 

Towards a resolution 

“When income of a aesculapian merchandise that improves the close to wellness and prevents suffering are halted successful a country, and nary equivalent alternate merchandise is available, that close is harmed for radical who were helped by it.” 

They said the concern reveals evident gaps successful the owed diligence processes applied by the institution and by the Swedish Government to expect and forestall quality rights consequences arising from the actions of concern enterprises and their partners.  

Meanwhile 1 of the experts, Alena Douhan, has contacted some the institution and the Swedish Government successful efforts to resoluteness this occupation and code immoderate broader issues related to quality rights owed diligence processes. 

Ms. Douhan is the UN Special Rapporteur connected the antagonistic interaction of the unilateral coercive measures connected the enjoyment of quality rights.  She signed the connection alongside 5 different rapporteurs and autarkic experts. 

They each were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and enactment connected a voluntary basis.  The experts service successful their idiosyncratic capableness and are neither UN staff, nor bash they person a wage from the Organization.