UN Fact-Finding Committee: Iranian Government Continues to Suppress Dissent

The independent UN fact-finding committee on Iran announced on Friday, March 15, that the Iranian government continues its "systematic repression" of dissent following the protests of 2022. According to the UN Human Rights Council website, this committee stated in its new report on the performance of the Islamic Republic of Iran that two years and six months after the start of the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in September 2022, the Iranian government is intensifying its efforts to restrict the rights of women and girls and those demanding human rights. The report indicates that these repressive actions are taking place despite promises made before the presidential elections by Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic, including regarding the mandatory hijab, which involves increasing use of advanced technology for surveillance that further violates the fundamental rights of women and girls. The UN fact-finding committee noted the approval and implementation of the so-called "Noor" plan in Iran by the Islamic Republic, adding that criminal prosecution against women opposing the mandatory hijab has intensified. Since April 14 of this year, the Islamic Republic has deployed its police and plainclothes forces in the streets of various cities in Iran under the new crackdown on women's optional dress known as the "Noor" plan, but despite widespread arrests, civil resistance continues. In this context, Ahmadreza Radan, the Chief Commander of the Islamic Republic's police, stated in late August about the implementation of this plan under Pezeshkian's government that "the Noor plan is law" and Pezeshkian is "very keen on enforcing the law" and "we will continue the Noor plan." The UN fact-finding committee further reported that human rights defenders and women’s rights activists continue to face penalties such as fines, long-term imprisonment, and in some cases, the death penalty for peaceful activities in support of human rights. This report, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 19, indicates that the government's actions are aimed at "suppressing the human rights of women and girls and their right to equality." Sara Hussein, the head of the UN fact-finding committee on Iran, stated that the Iranian government has refrained from implementing the demands for equality and justice raised during the protests in 2022. The committee's report also mentioned that torture and abuse of prisoners, use of force, and other human rights violations occurred during the protests and against their families, causing these families to be "systematically intimidated into silence about the harms suffered during the protests." The report noted that human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists have also faced repression, and many of them have been forced to leave Iran due to security forces' pursuit. It stated that beyond increasing surveillance, the government has expanded restrictions on cyberspace and extended its repression policy beyond Iran's borders to silence human rights defenders, including journalists. The UN fact-finding committee further reported that so far, 10 male political prisoners have been executed following the protests, and at least 14 other political prisoners; 11 men and 3 women, are at risk of execution. The committee emphasized that there are "serious concerns regarding the implementation of the right to a fair trial," the government's use of "forced confessions," and "violations of due process" in the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The UN fact-finding committee indicated that it has examined information provided by victims and witnesses as well as government claims and found that while some actions, including legal actions against certain law enforcement officials for illegal use of force and "instances of compensation payments to victims," have been taken, these actions are "scattered" and "insufficient." The report stressed that the Iranian government largely denies its responsibility for gross human rights violations, some of which are considered "crimes against humanity," and stated that victims and families seeking accountability are not only deprived of justice but are continuously subjected to intimidation, threats, arrest, and prosecution. In this context, Shahin Sardar Ali, a member of the committee, stated: "Although it is the primary duty of the Iranian government to address issues related to victims, we have heard from many victims and survivors that they do not trust the Iranian judicial and legal system." He added: Therefore, to achieve justice, it is necessary that efforts for comprehensive accountability continue outside Iran as well. The UN fact-finding committee stated in its report that over the past two years, it has gathered a wide range of evidence, including more than 38,000 documents, and interviewed 285 victims and witnesses. This report again confirms the gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Iran, noting more instances of sexual assault against female protesters, including gang rapes, and the deaths of protesters described by the government as "suicides," as well as the widespread use of fabricated executions of detainees, which amounts to torture. The Persian section of Voice of America has also published several reports over the past year regarding sexual assaults on protesters detained in three cities of Mazandaran province. The UN fact-finding committee also found that the security forces of the Islamic Republic did not make much distinction between adult and child protesters, exposing them to similar treatment, including illegal use of force, torture, and a wide range of due process violations. The committee noted that ethnic and religious minorities, especially Kurds and Baluchis, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals, have been targeted by the government's repression.