The new UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in her first report, highlighted the increasing number of executions in Iran, the lack of transparency regarding information on executions and detainees, the continued repression of protesters, and the discrimination against minorities as repeated human rights violations in the country.
On Tuesday, March 18, Mai Sato presented these findings in her first report on the human rights situation in Iran at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On March 12, she also referred to the high number of executions of women in Iran and expressed serious concern over the government’s use of the death penalty, stating that the number of executions in Iran has “significantly increased.”
In her remarks, Sato stated that in 2024, the wave of executions in Iran has reached its highest level since 2015, raising concerns that if this trend continues, the number of executions in the country could exceed “one thousand per year.”
She emphasized in her report that these figures only reflect the executions for which information is available, meaning that the Iranian regime does not provide transparent statistics on this issue, and the exact number of executions remains unknown.
Sato addressed the Iranian authorities, stating that such data should be disclosed transparently.
In her report, Sato highlighted discrimination against Baha’is, Sunni Muslims, Christian converts, ethnic minorities, and mistreatment of women, stating that at least 13 women were executed in Iran in 2024.
Referring to activists Varisheh Moradi, Sharifeh Mohammadi, and Pakhshan Azizi, who are on death row in Iran, she also addressed issues of forced marriage, child marriage, and the high rate of femicide in the country.
The UN Special Rapporteur further pointed out the legal gaps in Iran regarding women’s rights, including the fact that under the current laws of the Iranian regime, a woman’s testimony is considered equal to only half of a man’s testimony.
Sato ultimately emphasized that despite this repression, the people of Iran continue their “resistance.”
Reactions to the UN Report
Sara Hossein, Chair of the UN Human Rights Council’s Fact-Finding Committee, also spoke at the session, addressing the harassment and mistreatment of prisoners in Iran, particularly based on their gender, and described these actions as “crimes against humanity.”
She criticized the Iranian regime for its use of “disproportionate violence” and “widespread repression” against protests and specifically expressed concern over the regime’s increasing use of facial recognition technology to enforce compulsory hijab laws.
Hossein stated that women in Iran continue to be violently arrested, have their vehicles confiscated, and are sentenced to prison.
Following these two speeches, Ali Bahreini, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN office in Geneva, dismissed the report as “ridiculous and insulting.”
Bahreini’s remarks were so harsh that the session chair requested that member states use language appropriate to the dignity of the meeting and its mission when referring to other member states.
