Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, expressed grave concern regarding escalating human rights violations in her latest report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council on March 12, 2025. This comprehensive document, submitted under Human Rights Council resolution 55/19, focuses on developments throughout 2024, highlighting the “gender-specific dimensions and impact of human rights violations” under the clerical dictatorship in Iran.
Sato emphasized the stark increase in executions carried out by Iranian authorities, marking 2024 as the highest execution year since 2015, with NGOs reporting “well over 900 executions,” positioning Iran as “by far the highest per capita user of the death penalty globally.” She criticized the regime’s systemic opacity, noting that official figures remain unpublished, thus violating fundamental human rights principles, especially “the right of access to information,” inherently linked to the “right to truth.”
Particularly alarming is the gendered dimension of Iran’s judicial practices. The Special Rapporteur documented the execution of at least 29 women in 2024 alone—the highest in a decade—many convicted for killing abusive husbands or in acts of self-defense. “Globally, many of the women sentenced to death for homicide committed their offence in the context of gender-based violence,” the report noted, underscoring the extreme vulnerability women face within Iran’s penal system.
Alarmed by Iran's Supreme Court upholding #DeathSentence of Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi. Reportedly tortured in solitary confinement, denied fair trial&legal representation. Her case reflects broader persecution of minority women activists. https://t.co/gPkuT5Vd3e
— Mai Sato (@drmaisato.bsky.social) (@drmaisato) January 17, 2025
Sato also condemned the continued execution of juvenile offenders, explicitly mentioning Mohammadreza Azizi, sentenced for a crime committed when he was just 17. “The prohibition of the death penalty for an offence committed by someone under the age of 18 years has been recognized as a peremptory norm,” she firmly stated.
Highlighting systemic discrimination against ethnic groups, the report noted disproportionate execution rates among Kurdish and Baluchi communities, who represent a significantly higher percentage of executed prisoners than their demographic share would suggest. The Rapporteur urged the regime in Iran to “provide transparent statistical evidence if it wishes to refute the assessments of discriminatory practices.”
10 October is #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty. 500+ executions were reportedly carried out in #Iran since Jan '24. This includes the use of #CapitalPunishment against women activists &supporters of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. I join the call to end #DeathPeanlty in this📹 pic.twitter.com/k79W4kZ4ll
— Mai Sato (@drmaisato.bsky.social) (@drmaisato) October 9, 2024
Sato also drew attention to the critical issue of femicide and honor-related killings, reporting at least 179 femicide cases in 2024, with perpetrators primarily being husbands or male relatives. Iranian law, notably Articles 301 and 630 of the Penal Code, which grant leniency to men committing honour-related killings, further institutionalizes gender discrimination and violence against women.
Despite formal meetings and repeated requests for access to Iran, Sato expressed frustration with the Iranian regime’s persistent refusal to cooperate fully, pointing to significant barriers due to “strict media censorship” and reprisals against those reporting violations. She concluded by calling for urgent action, transparency, and cooperation from Iranian authorities to address and rectify these profound human rights abuses.