Iran Rights Coalition Urges UNHRC to Extend Mandates Amid Abuses

A coalition of Iranian and international human rights organizations have issued a joint statement urging member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to extend the mandates of the fact-finding committee mission and the special rapporteur on Iran.

The statement emphasizes the critical role these two bodies play in holding Iran accountable for human rights abuses. 

"The continuation of these missions is both distinct and complementary," the statement reads. "Extending their mandates is vital for the Council to fulfill its duty of protecting and improving human rights in Iran."

The signatories express deep concern about the ongoing and serious human rights violations documented in Iran. 

They highlight the fact-finding mission's discoveries, which point to "systematic violations of human rights against civilians, particularly women and girls."

This call to action comes as the UNHRC prepares for its session on March 18 regarding Iran.

The mission's report, released on March 8, said that Iranian authorities resorted to "unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force" to quell protests erupting after Mahsa Amini's death. Mahsa Amini died in custody in 2022 after the morality police arrested her for wearing the hijab "improperly."

"The mission has … established that many of the serious human rights violations … amount to crimes against humanity – specifically those of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts," the report said.

It also said Iranian security forces were found to have sexually assaulted detainees during the months-long uprising.

"The security forces played on social and cultural stigma connected to sexual and gender-based violence to spread fear and humiliate and punish women, men and children," the report noted.