In the wake of his final report detailing atrocities committed by the Iranian regime, Professor Javaid Rehman, the former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, has faced an onslaught of attacks from Iranian authorities and their allies abroad. His July 2024 report, titled “Atrocity Crimes,” highlighted heinous acts including mass executions in the early 1980s and the massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, which Rehman classified as crimes against humanity and genocide. Following the release of the report, Iranian officials launched a campaign to discredit Rehman, accusing him of bias, corruption, and accepting bribes—all claims he vehemently denies.
In a statement, Professor Rehman emphasized that he conducted his duties with “great integrity and absolute commitment,” acting impartially throughout his six-year tenure as Special Rapporteur from 2018 to 2024. Rehman disclosed that the Iranian government not only barred him from entering the country but also resorted to personal abuse and unsubstantiated accusations in an attempt to undermine his work. Furthermore, he categorically rejected claims that he had received any form of payment for his participation in conferences related to his findings, calling these allegations “false and fabricated.”
The regime and its allies attacked Rehman for his recent participation in an event that was about the regime’s human rights abuses, especially the execution and torture of dissidents in the 1980s.
“I completely reject the false and fabricated accusations that I received any form of honorarium, conference fee or speaker fee for participation in the conference on 24 August 2024 in Paris. There have been false allegations against me that I have received funding to attend this meeting based on various allegations that high-profile persons have been paid to attend such events,” Rehman wrote. “I must alert the international community, that through this smear campaign against me, the Iranian authorities (and their sympathisers) are attempting to escape and avoid accountability for their crimes.”
Rehman’s report shines a light on the mass execution of political prisoners, religious persecution, and the abuse of women and children. He calls for international intervention, urging the global community to establish investigative mechanisms to hold Iranian authorities accountable for their crimes.
Amid the smear campaign, Rehman asserts his commitment to pursuing legal action against those who continue to propagate falsehoods aimed at damaging his reputation. He concludes his statement by urging the international community to focus on the victims and to ensure justice is served.
The full text of Professor Rehman’s statement is below:
Statement from Professor Javaid Rehman
