UN Committee Report on 'Racial Discrimination' in Iran and Six Other Countries

On Friday, September 2, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held a press conference to present its findings regarding Iran, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, the UK, Iraq, and Belarus. This committee had previously reviewed the cases of these seven countries during its recent session in Geneva. In that session, the committee praised the Iranian government's hosting of 'the largest number of refugees in the world,' but raised questions about ethnic, religious, and other minorities who have been 'disproportionately' affected by the Islamic Republic's response to protests following the death of Zhina Mahsa Amini in September 2022. In the press conference, Michelle Bachelet, the committee's special rapporteur on Iran, expressed deep concern about deficiencies in the administration of justice and the consequences of protests against the Islamic Republic, expecting Iran to respond to the committee's questions within a year. The special rapporteur also stated that she expects the Islamic Republic to take its international commitments seriously. Mr. Bachelet referred to the presence of the Iranian delegation for discussions with the committee as a 'positive aspect,' noting that Iranian representatives addressed some of the committee's issues and concerns, and specific recommendations were provided to them. He emphasized, 'I assure you that we will continue to follow up, and this will not be a case that we close and return to in five or seven years.' Mr. Bachelet added that the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is not the only UN body addressing human rights conditions in Iran. He then pointed to the findings of the UN Independent Fact-Finding Committee regarding the repression of protesters in Iran, stating that his agency does not operate in isolation and is part of an ecosystem that, along with all involved actors, including civil society, 'has an opportunity to create change.' Earlier, in August, the fact-finding committee established by the UN Human Rights Council emphasized in its report that ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, especially Kurdish and Baloch minorities, have been disproportionately and unjustly affected by the government's repression of protesters that began in 2022. The report referenced instances of 'extrajudicial executions, unnecessary use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender-based harassment,' many of which, according to the committee, constitute 'crimes against humanity.'