On June 19, the United Nations website published the Secretary-General’s report on the human rights situation in Iran, presented at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council. The report details numerous human rights abuses and systemic issues plaguing the country.
The report highlights that Iranian authorities continue to impose national security-related charges and long prison sentences on human rights defenders, journalists, and artists. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported widespread concerns regarding due process and fair trial standards. Additionally, the OHCHR continues to receive reports of institutionalized gender discrimination, where women and girls are severely restricted from achieving basic equality and fundamental rights, including participation in economic, social, and political life, equal protection under the law, freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, freedom from discrimination, and the rights to freedom of movement, peaceful assembly, and expression.
The Secretary-General also expressed deep concern over the rising number of executions in Iran for a wide range of offenses under its criminal code. According to OHCHR estimates, at least 834 people were executed in 2023, a 43% increase from the estimated 582 executions in 2022. Of these, at least 471 (56%) were executed for drug-related offenses, marking an 84% increase from the 256 reported drug-related executions in 2022. The year 2023 recorded the highest number of executions for drug offenses since 2015.
NCRI Statement: Execution of 864 Prisoners in 2023 by the Khamenei Regime to Suppress Uprisings#Iran #HumanRightsViolations https://t.co/tHAoubvtbo
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 5, 2024
The Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by the continued execution of juvenile offenders. In 2023, at least one juvenile offender, Hamidreza Azari, who was 17 years old at the time of execution, was killed by the state. Additionally, the report highlights that in 2023, the clerical dictatorship executed 167 members of the Baluch minority, accounting for 20% of all reported executions, including five women.
On January 23, 2024, 23-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlou became the ninth man executed in connection with the 2022 nationwide protests. He was convicted of killing a police officer and injuring five others during protests in Parand, Tehran Province. Reports suggest that Ghobadlou was sentenced to death twice for “corruption on earth” and “retribution.” Allegations indicate that his trial involved confessions obtained under torture, and it was reported that Ghobadlou had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, a diagnosis contested by the government.
The Iranian regime continues to heavily restrict access to information, blocking social media platforms, and targeting journalists and writers for their work. The Secretary-General expressed severe concern over reports of lethal force used against peaceful protesters. On September 29, 2023, and October 20, 2023, security forces reportedly fired pellet guns at worshippers at the Makki Mosque in Zahedan after Friday prayers, resulting in injuries.
The Secretary-General also endorsed the findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released on March 8, 2024. The mission concluded that there is deep-seated and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls permeating all aspects of their public and private lives. This discrimination is a driving force behind widespread human rights violations and crimes under international law against women and girls.