In his latest report, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, has expressed alarm about the worsening human rights situation in the country. He highlights a range of flagrant human rights violations committed by Iranian authorities, with a focus on the events surrounding the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
Below is a summary of the key points from the report:
– The state authorities have failed to conduct a transparent and impartial investigation into the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. The family’s requests for an independent investigation were rejected and they were threatened and denied access to the autopsy report.
-Iranian authorities responded brutally to the protests following Jina Mahsa Amini’s death. The regime’s unlawful use of force and deliberate killings led to the deaths of at least 476 persons, including at least 64 children and 34 women.
-The Special Rapporteur is concerned about the mass arrests and detention of peaceful protesters, which have affected over 18,000 individuals including human rights defenders, students, lawyers, journalists, and civil society activists.
-The Special Rapporteur is alarmed at the continuing violence against women and girls, including cases of killings, physical and sexual abuse and fierce repression of ethnic and religious minorities, in particular the Baluch and the Kurds.
-The Special Rapporteur is outraged that, despite appeals by the international community, the Iranian authorities executed two protesters, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, in December 2022 after arbitrary, summary and sham trials, which violated the right to a fair trial and due process rights
-There have been widespread disruptions to the Internet, including blackouts and restrictions on the use of social media. The families of those killed during the protests have been harassed and intimidated, including restrictions on burials and memorial ceremonies.
-The report highlights the increase in executions, particularly of drug offenders and people from ethnic and religious minorities.
The report concludes that the investigations into the death of Jina Mahsa Amini were not credible, and there is evidence pointing to state culpability. The highest levels of the state have instigated violence and instructed the security forces to confront protesters, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
Javaid Rehman makes several recommendations to the government of Iran, including accepting responsibility for the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, releasing all those arrested and detained, ending violence, and protecting human rights defenders. The report also makes recommendations to the international community, including supporting accountability efforts, engaging with the Iranian authorities within the UN, and continuing to apply targeted sanctions for organizations and individuals that perpetrate serious violations of human rights in Iran.
