Guterres: Invitation for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Visit Iran

The Secretary-General of the United Nations reported that the Islamic Republic has invited the High Commissioner of the organization to visit Iran. According to Antonio Guterres's report published on Friday, March 8, representatives of the Human Rights Commission visited Iran last year. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic has not yet allowed the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran to travel to the country. The Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary stated last week that the behavior of the UN Special Rapporteur for Iran was 'violative' and threatened to cut cooperation with the High Commissioner. Before the Human Rights Commission of the UN was transformed into the Human Rights Council, Reynaldo Galindo Pohl served as the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran from 1986 to 1994, and Maurice Capiton from 1995 to 2001. As Mr. Capiton told Radio Free Europe, after the publication of his first report, 'the leaders of the Islamic Republic became so angry' that they no longer allowed him to travel to Iran. The UN General Assembly approved a resolution protesting human rights violations in Iran on December 17. This resolution referred to reports of torture of prisoners, arbitrary detentions, trials without due process, threats against human rights activists, and restrictions on freedom of expression, stating that the Iranian government does not comply with international standards and norms. The request for the release of dual nationals and foreign prisoners in Iran is another part of the Secretary-General's report. Several dual citizens are imprisoned in Iran, and Iranian officials claim they do not recognize dual nationality. The report also mentions the charge of 'corruption on earth' in Iran, which has an ambiguous and interpretable meaning and can sometimes lead to the death penalty for the accused. Several imprisoned environmental activists are also facing this charge. The Secretary-General of the UN also expressed concern about the establishment of special courts for economic crimes. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, agreed at the end of August with the proposal of the head of the judiciary to establish a special court with three judges from the Revolutionary Court to handle the cases of 'economic corruptors.' According to this order from Ayatollah Khamenei, the rulings issued by this court, except for the death penalty, are 'final and enforceable.' According to the Secretary-General's report, 207 people were executed in Iran in the first ten months of last year, a decrease compared to the same period the previous year, which may be due to changes in laws regarding the execution of drug offenders. The report also states that at least six defendants who committed crimes under the age of 18 were executed last year. Mahbubeh Mofidi, Amir Pour Jafar, Ali Kazemi, Abolfazl Sharahi, Zeinab Sakani, and Omid Rostami are the names of these six individuals. The Secretary-General's report criticizes the Islamic Republic's treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, including Baha'is, Dervishes, Kurds, and Iranian Arabs. Protests against the treatment of economic and occupational protesters constitute other sections of this report. The Secretary-General also criticized the pressure on the staff of the BBC Persian network, the long-term imprisonment of lawyers, the detention of protesters against mandatory hijab, and arbitrary arrests.