A report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran to the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council highlights the ongoing deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters since anti-government demonstrations began in Iran in September 2022.
The report (A/HRC/52/67), dated 7 February 2023, examines the current human rights concerns in the country, with a focus on the events leading up to and since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022.
In its recommendations section, the report states:
78. The Special Rapporteur urges the international community to continue to prioritize human rights issues, including by:
(a) Supporting accountability efforts with respect to human rights violations and possible crimes under international criminal law committed since the start of the protests in September 2022, as well as calling for accountability with respect to longstanding emblematic events that have been met with persistent impunity, including the enforced disappearances and summary and arbitrary executions of 1988 and the protests of November 2019;
(b) Fully engaging with the Iranian authorities within United Nations mechanisms, in particular the Human Rights Council, and in bilateral and multilateral arrangements;
(c) Continuing to apply targeted sanctions for organizations and individuals that carry out serious violations of human rights and to make full use of the principle of universal jurisdiction to ensure accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes under international law;
(d) Supporting Iranian people by further enhancing provisions for access to the Internet.
JVMI believes that previous inaction by the international community over the 1988 massacre has fueled a culture of impunity in Iran. The families of the victims urge governments around the world to follow the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation in calling for accountability over the 1988 massacre and ongoing human rights atrocities, to help bring an end to such impunity.