“We urge the Iranian authorities to stop using the death penalty as a tool to squash protests and we also call for the immediate release of all protesters who have freely surrendered their freedom for the sole purpose of exercising their rights to freedom of thought and expression, association and peaceful assembly and for their actions to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. through peaceful means,” they said in a statement.
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In the Tehran province, eight people were charged by the Islamic Revolutionary Court on October 29 with crimes that carry the death penalty, namely “war against God” or “moharebeh” and “corruption on earth”.
Two days later, the Tehran prosecutor announced that some 1,000 indictments had been issued in relation to the recent “riots” in the region and that public trials were scheduled for a number of people “in the coming days”.
In opposition to the separation of powers, on 6 November, 227 members of Parliament called on the judiciary to decide on those arrested during the protests and to carry out the death penalty.
“With the repression of protests, many more accusations on charges that carry the death penalty and death sentences may come out soon, and we fear that women and girls, who have been at the forefront of the protests, and especially human rights defenders, of women. arrested and jailed for questioning the end of the process and systematic discrimination laws, policies and practices can be seriously targeted”, they warned.
Departure is fast
On 13 September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, arrested by the moral police of Iran for allegedly failing to comply with the State’s strict laws on women’s dress, by wearing what the authorities say is is “inappropriate hijab”. He died in police custody.
Demonstrators in Sweden called for justice after the death of Masha Amini in the custody of the “moral police” in Iran.
Since 16 September thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested, including many women, children, youth and at least 51 designers. Fourteen have reportedly been released on bail, while 37 remain in custody – many in incommunicado detention.
“Massacre on peaceful demonstrations has continued unabated, and the death toll has risen to at least 304 people, including 24 women and 41 children. Baluchi and Kurdish people continue to be disproportionately affected by repression,” experts said.
Under the influence
Through unfair summary trials, Islamic Revolution courts have been used for years to prosecute political activists, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders, according to experts.
The country’s criminal justice system relies on confessions extracted through torture and other coercive and coercive methods to prove guilt.
Since the nationwide protests in November 2019, the death penalty has been widely used under unproven execution or unproven national security charges against individuals for participating in demonstrations.
In 2020, at least two people were killed after participating in protests.
“We reiterate our call to the Human Rights Council to urgently take the necessary actions to hold a special conference on the situation in Iran and to establish an international investigative process, to ensure accountability in Iran and to end the continued torture of gross human rights violations. “, they said.
The experts
Click here for the names of the experts who participated in this statement.
Special rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights topic or a country situation. The positions are prestigious and the experts are not paid for their work.
