On November 1 2024, Dr. Mai Sato, newly-appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, presented her first report to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee during its 79th session. Her presentation outlined her vision and scope of work for the mandate, which include three areas of priority – chief among them a gendered and intersectional approach:
“[On] the treatment of women—the situation has actually worsened. I am particularly concerned about the worsening compliance with women’s rights exemplified by the state’s response to the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ movement.”
“The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state of gender parity across four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity educational attainment health and survival and political empowerment. According to the 2023 data the Islamic Republic of Iran ranked 143rd out of 146 countries which underscores the need for a gendered analysis.”
Dr. Sato’s research to date has had particular focus on the death penalty and its implementation – this will be another primary area of concern for her mandate:
“There is an alarming increase in executions. In August 2024 alone at least 93 individuals were executed. As of October alone the reported estimate goes beyond 140 executions – half estimated for drug offences.”
“My examination of the right to life will encompass not only the use of the death penalty but also the lethal use of force by State agencies deaths in custody laws that condone or excuse killings and failure to properly investigate potential unlawful deaths. Here I stress the importance of justice and accountability. This includes accountability through international criminal law but also truth-seeking for victims and their families and to prevent recurrences.”
Dr. Sato also intends to focus on data, transparency, and the right to truth:
“The limited access to official data and the silencing of victims and their families through reprisals and intimidation make it difficult to determine the degree to which human rights protection of the Iranian people has improved, remains unchanged, or has deteriorated. The right of access to information is enshrined in Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Crucially, it is inextricably linked to the right to truth for victims, their families, and wider society.”
Many member states echoed the Special Rapporteur’s presentation in the thematic focus of their responses:
| Chile | “We welcome the new SR and we welcome her commitment to apply a gender edperspective throughout her mandate, addressing the legal status of women as well as their security and empowerment. We invite the Rapporteur to pay special attention to girls and their specific challenges..” |
| United Kingdom | “Iran has failed to respond to calls from the public for greater gender equality. Cultural heritage should never be used as an excuse for continued oppression.” |
| Norway | “Norway stands firmly against the use of capital punishment at all times and under any circumstances. We have continuously called on the Islamic Republic of Iran both bilaterally and in relevant [..] forums to abolish the death penalty”. |
| Australia | “We remain deeply concerned by Iran’s ongoing oppression of women and girls, and persecution of women human rights advocates. We call on Iranian authorities to cease their mandatory hijab campaign. Violent enforcement, arbitrary arrests, and detention continue to be employed by Iranian authorities to silence dissent we are alarmed by reports that protesters, human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists have been subjected to cruel and inhumane conditions in Iran’s prisons.” |