Annual Report by Human Rights Watch: Iranian Government Continues 'Repressive Tyranny'

In its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide, Human Rights Watch criticized the Iranian government for the ongoing 'repressive tyranny against peaceful dissent' and the intensification of 'punitive measures' against women opposing mandatory hijab following the nationwide protests of 2022. The report, published on Thursday, January 21, highlighted the deaths of 'over 500 individuals, including 69 children, during the protests' and emphasized that the Islamic Republic authorities have 'refused to conduct transparent investigations into the use of lethal and excessive force by security forces, torture, sexual assault, and other serious violations.' Michael Page, Deputy Director for the Middle East at Human Rights Watch, described the Islamic Republic as a 'corrupt and authoritarian government' that has 'mobilized its entire repressive machinery to crush dissent.' The Deputy Director also called for continued 'independent investigations' by the United Nations into 'serious allegations' of human rights violations by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The annual report also noted that 'dozens of human rights defenders, journalists, members of ethnic and religious minorities, and dissenters are serving long prison sentences after being convicted on national security charges in severely unfair trials, and some protesters have died in custody under suspicious circumstances.' Previously, the Committee to Protect Journalists had named the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'the worst jailer of journalists in the world' in 2022. Furthermore, the report addressed the intensification of the Iranian government's crackdown in the months leading up to the anniversary of the protests, stating: 'Iranian officials have intensified their repression against peaceful dissent through threats, arrests, prosecutions, and trials of activists, artists, dissenters, lawyers, academics, students, and relatives of those killed in the nationwide protests of 2022.' The report also pointed to a 'significant' increase in the number of executions in Iran in 2023, noting that judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have sharply increased the issuance of death sentences against protesters using 'vague national security charges' during the 2022 protests. Human Rights Watch described the trials of protesters as 'severely unfair' and noted that many defendants lacked access to chosen legal counsel, reporting 25 death sentences related to the nationwide protests of 2022 and the execution of seven individuals in this context. Mohsen Shakari, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Mohammad Hosseini, Majidreza Rahnavard, Saleh Mirhashimi, Majid Kazemi Sheikhshabani, and Saeed Yaghoubi Kord Safa were executed in connection with last year's nationwide protests. The Iran Human Rights Organization, active in the fight against the death penalty, recently reported a 36% increase in the number of executions in the past year compared to the same period the previous year. Human Rights Watch's report also highlighted the Iranian government's intensified efforts to enforce mandatory hijab laws, including punishing dissenters, confiscating vehicles, closing businesses, and filing legal cases against supporters of optional dress codes. The report further addressed the increased pressures on Baha'is and the use of 'much harsher repression tactics' in the provinces of Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchestan. Human Rights Watch's World Report 2024, which is the thirty-fourth annual report of this organization, examined human rights performance in over a hundred countries worldwide. According to this report, Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, described 2023 as a significant year for the repression of human rights, the commission of war crimes, selective outrage, and transactional diplomacy, urging governments to be consistent in fulfilling their human rights commitments.