Second Report of the Fact-Finding Committee; Iran's Use of Digital Technology to Suppress Protesters

The United Nations special committee states that the Iranian government employs digital technologies and surveillance to crush dissent following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. In a recent report released on Friday, March 15, the independent fact-finding committee accused Tehran of an 'organized effort to silence protesters, create an atmosphere of terror in society, and ensure systematic impunity for perpetrators.' According to the findings of this report, these actions by the Islamic Republic include 'increasing use of surveillance technologies, including through arbitrary suppression supported by the government.' The death of Mahsa Zhina Amini in custody of the morality police in late September 2022 faced Iran with widespread protests and demonstrations, unprecedented protests that lasted for weeks and posed a serious challenge to the government. The severe and bloody crackdown on the protests prompted the United Nations Human Rights Council to quickly initiate extensive investigations. Sara Hussein, head of the UN fact-finding committee, stated in the committee's latest report: 'Over the past two years, Iran has refused to recognize demands for justice and equality, which ignited the protests.' Sara Hussein described 'criminalization, surveillance actions, and ongoing repression of dissenters, families of victims, and survivors, especially women and girls' as 'very concerning.' The report emphasized that since the beginning of the current year, the Iranian government has increased surveillance and prosecution of women who refuse to comply with mandatory hijab laws. The fact-finding committee concluded in its first report that the violent suppression of peaceful protests and discrimination against women and girls has led to 'gross and serious human rights violations,' to the extent that in many cases, it could be considered 'crimes against humanity.' This latest report delves deeper into patterns of repression and human rights violations, as well as the evolution and transformation of such actions. Committee members noted that so far, 10 men have been executed in connection with those protests, emphasizing that at least 11 men and three women also face the death penalty. The new report also emphasizes that victims of torture and other abuses are being prosecuted, and the government systematically uses intimidation against their families. The report states that 'the government uses digital tools to silence dissenters, including by intensifying and expanding its control capabilities to restrict freedom of expression and even monitor narratives and viewpoints.' For example, the 'Monitor' application allows trusted individuals of the government to report cases of non-compliance with mandatory hijab, even in private vehicles. The fact-finding committee's report states that the updated version of this application, operational since October of this year, monitors women in taxis, subways, or even ambulances. The report emphasized that the confiscation of women's personal vehicles on charges of non-compliance with mandatory hijab continues. Committee members reported that in April of this year, especially during the Nowruz holiday, the government used drones to monitor women's hijab compliance in Tehran and southern regions of the country. The fact-finding committee found evidence of the extrajudicial execution of six protesters, including three individuals under 18, but the government denied the killings and executions, declaring all of them as 'suicides.' The report also referenced a case of a woman who was severely beaten during detention, subjected to mock executions, and became a victim of gang rape, indicating more instances of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape in custody. The fact-finding committee's report emphasizes the 'lack of independence of Iran's judicial system,' stating that not only are the victims' demands for justice and accountability for the criminals ignored, but they and their families are continuously targeted for 'intimidation, threats, detention, and criminal prosecution.' Shahin Sardar Ali, a member of this committee, pointed out these issues, stating, 'Therefore, it is essential that comprehensive auditing and accountability standards and tools be employed outside of Iran as well.' On the other hand, a member of a committee formed by the Islamic Republic under the title 'Review of the 2022 Unrest' stated that this committee has held three meetings with the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding delegation. Sakineh Pad described these meetings as 'very good' but immediately claimed that the UN fact-finding delegation 'has a biased perspective and we informed them that in their draft report, they did not mention the actions and compensations that had taken place.' Sakineh Pad claimed that the Islamic Republic has 'provided significant compensation' and compensated 'individuals who were harmed in those unrests, even to those whose assailants were not identified.' The Islamic Republic has not allowed members of this committee, including the UN special rapporteur, to enter the country or access judicial files. The UN fact-finding committee has collected and reviewed 38,000 testimonies over more than two years and has directly interviewed 285 victims and witnesses. The second report of the fact-finding committee is set to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, March 19.