UN warning on situation in Iran: government intensifies crackdown on women's rights, March 2025
Two and a half years after the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran, the government continues to intensify its crackdown on the rights of women and girls, seeking to stifle dissent. This is according to a new Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (established by the of the United Nations), released on March 14, 2025 and submitted to the Human Rights Council.
The report consolidates the mission's findings on gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed in the context of the protests that began Sept. 16, 2022 in Iran. Despite President Masoud Pezeshkian's pre-election statements about the possibility of relaxing the enforcement of mandatory hijab laws, Iranian authorities have tightened control through new surveillance technologies and state-sponsored surveillance initiatives. In particular, since the introduction of the so-called “Noor Plan” in April 2024, legal persecution against women who defy the hijab obligation has increased, with criminal penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment to the death penalty.
The Report was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council at the same time as the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran on March 18, 2025. Both highlight how these measures are an expression of systematic state persecution aimed at restricting the rights of women and girls, denying them the right to equality. Persecutory acts also occur against victims of torture and violence suffered during protests, as well as against their family members, lawyers and journalists who try to give them a voice. It is counted that since 2022, at least 10 men have been executed in connection with the protests and 14 others, including three women, face the death penalty. The report highlights serious human rights violations, including confessions extracted through torture and irregular trials. The Mission collected more than 38,000 pieces of evidence and interviewed 285 witnesses, confirming crimes against humanity and cases of rape of female protesters.
Faced with a judicial system lacking independence, the Mission calls on the international community to continue to pursue justice outside Iran. The report also recommends the creation of a new independent body to monitor and investigate ongoing violations.
Viviana Krsticevic, a member of the Mission, stressed the importance of preventive measures to prevent further abuses: “Given the severity of the violations and the risk of renewed violence against those who express dissent, the Human Rights Council must continue to support victims in their quest for justice”.