Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
24 February to 4 April 2025
High Level Segment
February 24-26
The 58th session of the Human Rights Council opened from February 24-26 with the High-Level Segment, with statements from various member states on the current human rights landscape, during which several states drew attention to the human rights situation in Iran:
| Sweden | In countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, the oppression of women and girls is so widespread and so systematic, that it intends “to suppress women and girls into total submission’’ according to the Special Rapporteurs. |
| Latvia | Today we must also confront the stark realities that women and girls face globally – in Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, the DRC –, as progress remains fragile and uneven. |
| North Macedonia | As a Council member, we are committed to ensuring that human rights are upheld and that violations are addressed wherever they occur, including in Belarus, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. |
| Liechtenstein | We have to engage in addressing the serious human rights situations in a number of countries, including in Myanmar, Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. There will be no peace without justice. And Liechtenstein will therefore continue to advocate for accountability. |
| Austria | We should also be deeply concerned about the alarming humanitarian and human rights situation in places such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, the greater Sahel Region and Yemen. |
| Czechia | Human rights violations persist in many parts of the world. In Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Myanmar, Belarus, China, and other countries, people suffer daily. The world cannot look away. |
| Albania | In Iran, women and girls continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights and freedoms, and are subjected to laws that restrict their autonomy and, most importantly, their dignity. We stand in solidarity with the brave Iranian women and girls as they continue to fight for equality and justice. |
| Lithuania | We also reiterate our serious concerns about [the] consistently lamentable situation of human rights in North Korea, Iran, and China. |
| Canada | Nous continuons de suivre de près les développements au Venezuela, en Afghanistan, en Iran, dans l’est de la RDC et au Nicaragua, où les droits de la personne sont constamment violés. |
| Australia | Australia will continue to advocate for the global abolition of the death penalty. We remain deeply disturbed by Iran’s extensive and persistent use of the death penalty, including for women and girls, juvenile offenders, political opponents, protestors and ethnic and religious minorities. |
The Islamic Republic of Iran also made remarks at the high-level segment, via foreign affairs minister Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who, in keeping with past IRI dignitaries, defended Iran’s human rights record (“Iran has always strived to promote the individual and social rights of its citizens. In this regard, we have taken extensive measures to improve the level of human rights, including the rights of women, children, and minorities in our country“), while criticizing unilateral coercive measures (“Such measures have destructive ramifications on ordinary people while oppressively affecting the more vulnerable groups Iran has long fallen victim to such misguided policies.“) and denouncing the politicization of human rights (“We call upon all states to strive to support and promoting human rights based on the principles of fairness and impartiality and to avoid selective and politicized approaches to the issue”).
The Islamic Republic made a second statement in the afternoon during a panel discussion on gender equality and women’s rights, which prompted more defense of its human rights record: “Iran has reached considerable achievements in the field of women’s rights and social justice […] Iran is committed to ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls and strived to achieve this goal by enacting supportive laws and policies, including programs to raise public awareness about women’s rights.“
Biennial High Level Panel on the Death Penalty
February 25
The high level segment continued on February 25 with the biennal High-Level Panel on the Death Penalty, during which several interlocutors, including coalition member Ensemble contre la peine de mort and High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted the high execution rate and disproportionate use of the death penalty in Iran:
| Volker Türk | The top executing countries over recent years include the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States of America. |
| Ensemble contre la peine de mort | En Iran, en 2024, au moins 975 personnes ont été exécutées, c’est inacceptable. |
| Austria | Ladies and gentlemen, we should also be deeply concerned about the alarming humanitarian and human rights situation in places such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, the greater Sahel region and Yemen. |
Oral Update from High Commissioner Volker Türk
March 3
On March 3, High Commissioner Volker Türk presented to the council his global update on human rights in the world, during which he addressed human rights in Iran, in particular women’s rights, human rights defenders and executions:
“In Iran, the Hijab Law has been temporarily suspended. I call again on the authorities to repeal the law fully and permanently, along with all other laws and practices that discriminate against women and girls. I also urge them to release all human rights defenders from detention and to end arbitrary arrests and imprisonment. I am deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions last year, with over 900 reported cases. I have urged the Iranian authorities to place an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty.“
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur & the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran
March 18
On March 18, during the 58th session’s 34th meeting, the Human Rights Council hosted a joint interactive dialogue with Dr. Mai Sato, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as Sara Hossain Shaheen Sardar Ali and Viviana Krsticevic, the 3 experts of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Dr. Sato presented her first report to the HRC (A/HRC/58/62), while the FFM presented both an HRC report (A/HRC/58/63) and a detailed Conference Room Paper (A/HRC/58/CRP.1), published on the morning of the dialogue.
Sara Hossain said of its investigation: “Consolidated evidence strengthens our earlier findings that state authorities committed gross human rights violations, including unlawful killings, injuries, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, sexual and gender-based violence including rape, and a wide range of serious fair trial violations. Some of these violations amounted to crimes against humanity, including persecution on the grounds of gender.”
The Interactive Dialogue prompted comments from numerous member states, among them:
| European Union | “The EU strongly opposes the use of the death penalty under all circumstances. We are particularly concerned about the dramatic rise in executions, with reportedly at least 901 people executed in 2024. The use of capital punishment as a response to domestic dissent, including against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, is unacceptable…” |
| Costa Rica (on behalf of a cross-regional group of 45 states) | “The FFM on Iran has found that human rights concerns in Iran are extensive and complex. There is a need to keep investigating continuing human rights violations and allegations of crimes against humanity and their root causes. We therefore call upon this Council to appropriately expand and extend the mandate of the FFM and call on Iran to cooperate fully with it and implement its recommendations.” |
| Ireland | “Ireland urges Iran to cease discrimination against women and girls in legal frameworks which greatly limit the realization of their rights. Ireland also calls for the removal of provisions related to criminalizing women’s dress choices…” |
| Estonia (on behalf of the Nordic Baltic States 🇪🇪🇱🇹🇱🇻🇩🇰🇳🇴🇸🇪🇮🇸🇫🇮) | “We note that the FFM concludes that there is a need for follow-up to its work, with a mandate to investigate allegations of serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity, both past and ongoing.” |
| Ukraine | “Iran’s complicity in Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine underscores the urgent need for global action to hold Tehran accountable both for its internal repression and its destabilizing role abroad.” |
| Albania | “..We are witnessing a clear deterioration in the panorama and the following: Arbitrary detention, persecution, discrimination, and ethnic-religious minority struggle, violence against women and girls, the torture and systematic murder of the opposition to the regime, impunity for the authors of human rights violations, absence of an independent judicial system, the application of the death penalty, including minors, and the disrespect of international obligations.” |
| Chile | “…we would like to express our concern about the human rights violations documented in the reports, including violent crackdowns on protests, the prosecution of human rights defenders and restrictions on their fundamental freedoms, as well as the extensive use of the death penalty.” |
Special Rapporteur Dr. Sato highlighted the use of death penalty, the absence of transparency, silencing of dissent, and underlined widespread discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities: “I continue to receive reports of arbitrary detention, unfair trials, in some cases resulting in death sentences. Women from these communities face particularly acute challenges, experiencing multiple overlapping forms of discrimination.”
The final portion of the dialogue featured remarks from several coalition members, including Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva’s Taimoor Aliassi, Balochistan Human Rights Group’s Sabah Bandoui (speaking on behalf of BHRG and Minority Rights Group), and All Human Rights for All in Iran’s Sholeh Zamini (speaking on behalf of WILPF).
Per Taimoor Aliassi: “In [..] 2024, at least 970 prisoners were executed in Iran. Over 40% of them are Kurdish and Baluch citizens, while they make up only 20% of the Iranian population.”
Sabah Bandoui: “..The persecution of ethnic and religious minorities predates and extends beyond the Woman Life Freedom movement. We are deeply concerned by the state’s persistent campaign to silence dissent and the ongoing impunity for perpetrators.”
Sholeh Zamini: “Among those at risk of execution are women’s rights activists Varisheh Moradi, Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi: we urge the overturn of their wrongful convictions and release immediately.”
General debate on agenda item 4
March 20-21
Starting March 20, during the session’s 38th meeting, the Human Rights Council held a General debate under agenda item 4, i.e. “Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention”. Several member states voiced concerns on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including:
| Czechia | “We also strongly condemn the sentencing and high number of executions including of minors and women in Iran.We urge the Iranian authorities to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and to stop deterring Iranians from protesting and expressing themselves freely.” |
| Netherlands | “Iran’s continued oppression of women, girls, human rights defenders, LGBTQI+ persons and ethnic and religious minorities is of great concern.We strongly condemn arbitrary detention and a staggering number of executions. Iran must cooperate with all UN men it holds and grant the SR unrestricted access.” |
| Cyprus | “We are particularly concerned by the dramatic rise in the use of [the] death penalty in Iran in 2024 and we call the authorities to put a moratorium on executions. We also urge the Iranian authorities to uphold human rights for all, in particular women and girls.” |
| France | “…in Iran, where women and girls suffer from systematic and brutal and rightful violations of their rights.” |
| Estonia | “In Iran, we deplore the frightening surge in executions.” |
| Lithuania | “Russia, with support of Belarus, DPRK, Iran and others, continues to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine, which results in immense human rights violations and war crimes, including systematic deportation of Ukrainian children […] We are all alarmed by the surge in executions in Iran, which are used to spread fear throughout society and chill any dissent.” |
| Slovenia | “Regarding Iran, we remain concerned by the continued systematic discrimination against women and girls and by the repression of freedoms of expression, of religion or belief, and of peaceful assembly and association.” |
| United Kingdom | “In Iran, women, girls and minorities face sustained repression. Freedom of expression is curtailed, journalists silenced. Executions have reached the most appalling levels.” |
| Denmark | “We urge Iran to halt executions, release [the] arbitrarily detained and respect human rights for all, including women and girls.” |
| Ukraine | “We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing human rights violations in other countries […] suppression of protests, and violation of women’s rights in Iran..” |