UN report highlights serious Iran human rights violations

A report by the United Nation's new special rapporteur on Iran’s human rights highlighted the country's fraught record and called for increased transparency and accountability from the government.

The report, presented by Mai Sato, marks the first submission since she assumed the role in August 2024. It outlines issues such as the use of the death penalty, suppression of civil liberties, and gender-based discrimination, while proposing constructive engagement from Iran with international human rights bodies.

In her report, Sato identifies three primary areas of concern: transparency, the right to life, and gender equality. She emphasizes that Iran continues to experience “deficits in the administration of justice such as the independence of the judiciary and the lack of accountability and impunity for human rights violations; practices that amount to torture, cruel, or degrading treatment of detainees”​.

Citing a lack of access to accurate data and limited responses to international inquiries, Sato advocates for a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to address these embedded issues​.

According to the report, Iran maintains one of the highest execution rates globally, with at least 93 executions in August 2024 alone. Sato notes, “The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party, restricts the application of the death penalty to ‘most serious crimes,’ understood as intentional killing”​.

According to the report, Iran maintains one of the highest execution rates globally, with at least 93 executions in August 2024 alone. Sato notes, “The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party, restricts the application of the death penalty to ‘most serious crimes,’ understood as intentional killing”​.

The report urges Iran to ratify key human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention Against Torture, as part of a renewed commitment to international human rights standards.