Constitutional Council approves multiple intl. legal treaties
Addressing a press conference in Tehran on Saturday, Dr. Hadi Tahan Nazif announced that the treaties approved by the Council are as follows: Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Vietnam, Bilateral Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Tajikistan, Transfer of Convicted Persons with Belarus, Extradition of Criminals with Malaysia, and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Malaysia.
However, the Council identified a conflict with Sharia law in Article 8, clause 2 of the "Treaty on the Transfer of Convicted Persons" with Vietnam. The Council deemed "the general permissibility of increasing punishment without a compelling reason" as unacceptable. This treaty will now require revision by the Iranian Parliament.
Additionally, the Council objected to the Iran-India agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. Specifically, the use of the English words "diplomatic" and "consular" in the title and Article 7 was deemed to violate Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution, which mandates the use of Persian in official documents.
Furthermore, the "Framework Agreement on Railway Transportation Cooperation between the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Government of the Republic of Turkey" also faced scrutiny. Dr. Tahan Nazif stated that the Council found one constitutional issue and three points of concern. In Article 4, clause 3-4, the exclusive obligation placed on the Iranian party was deemed to violate clause 9 of Article 3 of the Constitution. This agreement will also require amendments by the Iranian Parliament before it can be reconsidered by the Council.