Special Rapporteur on Iran Javaid Rehman publishes final report to the Human Rights Council

On March 3 2024, The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Javaid Rehman published his last report to the Human Rights Council during its 55th session, before his mandates ends July 31, 2024. His report emphasizes ongoing impunity and lack of accountability for human rights violations in Iran:

“The culture of perpetuating impunity has evolved into a State policy of intimidation, harassment and persecution of all those seeking accountability, truth and justice. Institutional and entrenched impunity has resulted in systematic harassment of human rights defenders, lawyers and other individuals campaigning for accountability, in a pattern that has emerged over several decades, whereby victims of human rights violations and their families are consistently and systematically denied the truth and access to justice.” (para. 87)

“The Special Rapporteur expresses his extreme disappointment at the culture of impunity and the absence of accountability prevalent at the domestic level. However, recent years have witnessed the possibility of holding the State accountable within international law and individuals accountable in foreign and international courts or through the use of universal jurisdiction. (…) In July 2022, making use of universal jurisdiction, the Stockholm District Court found Hamid Nouri guilty of war crimes and murder, and sentenced him to life imprisonment for his role in the 1988 massacres in the Islamic Republic of Iran, when thousands of political prisoners were executed on the orders of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the then Supreme Leader” (para. 89)

Find the full report here via UN Docs (includes English and Persian): https://undocs.org/A/HRC/55/62

Special Rapporteur Rehman will present his report and hold an interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council on March 15. Follow it live via UN Web TV.