Narges Mohammadi's Request to the UN for Accurate Documentation of the 'Assassination' of Opposition Members of the Islamic Republic

Narges Mohammadi, a human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has sent an open letter to UN officials, calling for special attention to the accurate documentation of cases of assassination and disappearance of opponents of the Islamic Republic both inside and outside Iran. In this letter addressed to Volker Turk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sara Hossain, the head of the fact-finding committee, and Maïka Sato, the special rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on Iran, Mohammadi states that since its establishment, the Islamic Republic has taken or endangered the lives of many opponents and political activists through 'capital punishment, systematic repression, and transnational terrorist actions.' Human Rights Watch has called for the unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi. In part of her letter, she refers to the unlimited extension of the fact-finding committee's mandate and the special rapporteur by the UN Human Rights Council on April 3, calling this decision 'historic and decisive' and a symbol of the global community's stand against the 'law of bullying.' Mohammadi continues by mentioning threats to political prisoners of 'death without leaving a trace' during interrogations, suspicious killings within the country, and the Islamic Republic's terrorist actions on the soil of European and American countries, urging for accurate documentation of these cases. She also cites the sentencing of two defendants in the US for attempting to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, and has requested the UN to prioritize the issue of transnational assassination and repression. In this case, prosecutors announced that the Iranian government had offered a $500,000 reward for 'silencing Alinejad.' In conclusion, Mohammadi considers the gathering of evidence and documentation regarding these actions as 'a necessary condition for a democratic and peaceful transition in Iran' and emphasizes that cooperation between international organizations and Iranian civil society is the only way to end the impunity of those who order and carry out repression. Narges Mohammadi, a key figure in the campaign against executions and a defender of women's rights in Iran, has been sentenced to 13 years and 9 months in prison. She has been released on a 21-day suspension of her prison sentence since December 5, 2023, and is receiving medical treatment.