UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran Javaid Rehman urged Iranian authorities to hold an independent and transparent investigation into the reported deaths in custody and other incidents leading to alleged violations of rights that took place during and after the protests of December 2017 and January 2018.
Rehman expressed his “grave concerns” at the continuing execution of juvenile offenders in Iran and called upon the government to immediately prohibit all executions of persons charged of offenses committed below the age of 18.
He further recommended that "the government abolish the death penalty in all cases and suspend it until such action is taken".
The Special Rapporteur stressed that he intends to develop a constructive dialogue with the Iranian government "to facilitate the implementation of his mandate".
He highlighted a number of issues of concern that are being continuously documented, including "violations of the right to life, particularly the execution of juvenile offenders; the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment; the right to freedom of assembly, opinion and expression; and the rights of women and girls, as well as of religious and ethnic minorities, and represent areas in which the Special Rapporteur intends to seek further detailed information.”
Based on his preliminary analysis, Rehman identified a number of areas which he presently intends to address, including but not limited to violations of economic, social and cultural rights, the situation of human rights defenders, the situation of foreign and dual nationals, the alleged 1988 summary executions, as well as groups rights, in particular those based upon disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The Special Rapporteur reiterated previous calls of his predecessor and the UN Secretary-General that all those arrested for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion, and expression are released, including those arrested during the December 2017 and January 2018 protests in this context.
He appealed to the Iranian government to "conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the reported cases of death during detention and other incidents that led to alleged rights violations during and after the protests."
Rehman called for abolition of all laws and policies that criminalize or restrict the freedom of online expression, indicating that online content should be only restricted by an independent and impartial judicial orders.
He also called on the government to "ratify the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment", urging it to issue laws that prohibit flogging and amputations as a punishment because they violate articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
He also called for "the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the prohibition of all forms of discrimination against women, both in law and practice.
