Right to Self-determination in Imam Khomeini's Thought and Its Comparative Study with International Documents

Right to self-determination is a right for peoples and nations to determine their destiny and improve their social and political life. Self-determination is not a mere principle, but a right. This right belongs to nations and their individuals and has been mentioned in the first article of the United Nations Charter. Self-determination is the basis for creating peace, friendly relations, and peaceful coexistence among nations. In the light of the Convention on Political and Civil Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the rights stemming from the right to self-determination are divided into political, economic and cultural rights. The two conventions have established the right for peoples to determine their own political, economic and social systems. At the same time, establishment of a system under the people’s rule was among the main goals of Imam Khomeini's revolution, something that he always insisted on during his struggles against the monarchical rule. Imam Khomeini maintained that this right is based on reason and is among peoples' fundamental rights. He was also of the opinion that based on reason and International Declaration of Human Rights, all nations, in all areas, should be able to determine what they wanted. The objective of this research is to investigate the reflection of the right to self-determination in light of the Islamic Revolution, in viewpoint of Imam Khomeini in comparison with international documents. To this end, descriptive-analytical method has been employed in this research