United Nations: latest report on Iran shows that the human rights situation has markedly deteriorated

The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif has presented the latest report about Iran during the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council. The document covers the human rights situation of the country from august 2022 to april of the current year. The main concern issues are the rise of executions and death penalties sentences, as well as the growing number of children killed by security forces.

As the rates of deaths increase, the right of freedom and gender balance decreases. The report mentions that security forces have been adopting harsher penalties for unveiled women, and reforms in the Penal Code are being considered by the Parliament to expand the number of actions to be considered as offences for non-compliance, “allowing imprisonment, flogging, and other punishments”. In addition, women and young girl’s right to education is also at risk, with State institutions failing to protect their physical and mental health on this behalf, especially because of the suspected poisoning in schools. All these situations are followed by what Al-Nashif called the “chronic lack of meaningful and effective avenues for the population to voice grievances or indeed to seek remedies”.