Warning from 25 Human Rights Organizations: The Islamic Republic Will Use Al-Nashif's Visit to Iran for Propaganda

25 human rights organizations warned in a letter to Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Nada Al-Nashif, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, that Iranian officials will attempt to use Al-Nashif's visit to Iran as a propaganda tool to undermine human rights reports against the Islamic Republic. Nada Al-Nashif is scheduled to visit Iran on February 3rd to examine two human rights issues regarding 'executions' and 'women's rights.' According to these human rights organizations, Iranian officials will try to use their official engagement with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 'as a propaganda tool to weaken support for existing monitoring, reporting, and investigative mechanisms.' These organizations expressed doubt about the 'specific outcome and benefit of a high-level visit to Tehran for advancing the human rights of the Iranian people' and stated that the success of this visit depends on ensuring access to independent civil activists and human rights defenders 'including those who have been arbitrarily detained.' In another part of this open letter, referring to the recent statement from the High Commissioner regarding 'the execution of four Kurdish prisoners earlier today, following the execution of a young man with mental disabilities last week,' they reiterated that Al-Nashif's visit occurs amid a concerning increase in executions. These human rights organizations also expressed concern that this visit takes place in a context where 'the deadly, violent, and illegal repression of the nationwide women’s movement targets life, freedom, and the intensification of humiliating and discriminatory laws and policies against women and girls.' The 25 human rights organizations, referring to the two main issues of 'executions' and 'women's rights' in Al-Nashif's mission, warned that Iranian officials 'have shown no signs of political will to address these long-standing issues.' Previously, Shirin Ebadi, head of the Center for the Defenders of Human Rights, wrote a letter to Al-Nashif, referring to her planned visit to Iran and the increase in executions by the Islamic Republic, urging the UN official to cancel her trip to Iran. In Ebadi's letter to Al-Nashif, she stated: 'Your visit at such a time will lead to propaganda and misuse by the Islamic Republic. Therefore, as a long-time human rights defender, I recommend that you also refrain from traveling to Iran in protest against the expanding extrajudicial executions.' Hamed Esmaeilioun, a plaintiff in the case of the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane by the IRGC missiles, also reacted to the visit of the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights to Iran, stating that he expects her to 'go directly to Evin Prison upon her arrival in Tehran' and 'visit prisoners who are on death row.' The UN Secretary-General reported in November this year that the Islamic Republic executes 'at an alarming rate' and that the number of executions in the first seven months of this year has increased by 30% compared to the same period last year. At that time, the UN Secretary-General urged Iranian officials to immediately stop all executions, abolish the death penalty, and release all those who have been arbitrarily detained. The leaders of the Islamic Republic, ignoring domestic and international requests, have increasingly executed opponents and dissidents after the Secretary-General's remarks, with the latest case being the simultaneous execution of Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi at dawn on February 3rd. There have been widespread reactions to the execution of four political prisoners; Gohar Eshghi: 'Curse you, Khamenei.' The execution of four Kurdish political prisoners occurred simultaneously with the call to prayer on Monday morning in Tehran's horizon. Hamed Esmaeilioun to Nada Al-Nashif: 'Go to Evin Prison and visit prisoners on death row.' Shirin Ebadi's request to Nada Al-Nashif: 'The Islamic Republic will misuse you; cancel your trip to Iran.'