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 24-26 February 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. |