Mr. Ahmed SHAHEED
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Mr. Mutuma RUTEERE
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

c/o Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations at Geneva
8-14 avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland


Dear Mr. Shaheed and Mr. Ruteere,

I take the liberty to write you in order to inform you about the Second International Holocaust Cartoon competition to be held in Iran during the month of April 2015.

The abovementioned competition, held for the second time, provides an opportunity for Holocaust deniers to present their vicious and outrageous "art", thus distorting in the most repulsive way one of the most tragic events in human history. While some of the cartoons clearly insult the memory of the Holocaust, others use it sarcastically within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We have just concluded the International Holocaust Commemoration Day's events at the UN in Geneva, listening to the mesmerizing testimony of a Holocaust survivor. The UN, through its different agencies and activities, does its utmost to promote Holocaust education and the lessons it unfolds, to fight racism and intolerance. It is simply unacceptable that Iran, as a member state of this noble organization, derides these immense efforts of the International Community.

We witness lately a significant rise in the number of attacks on Jews and Jewish centers across Europe, the latest one in Copenhangen just a few days ago. This competition will further incite the atmosphere and contribute to the spread of the scourge of Anti-Semitism.

I therefore urge you to publicly condemn this competition and call on the Iranian Authorities to bring about its immediate cancellation.

Yours Sincerely,

Eviatar Manor
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

cc: High Commissioner for Human Rights Ra'ad Al Hussein Zeid
      President of the Human Rights Council Ambasador Joachim Ruecker