Signatories of Open letter to the UN Human Rights Council
London, 2 April 2024 – A group of 77 current and former United Nations special procedure mandate-holders and commissioners and experts of UN-mandated investigative bodies on Tuesday wrote to the President of the Human Rights Council and the Council’s Member and Observer States, supporting the renewal of the mandates of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
“Impunity and the absence of accountability for serious human rights violations remain a significant and recurrent feature of Iran’s political landscape. We believe this impunity stems in part from the failure to hold Iranian officials accountable for their involvement in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners,” the UN experts said in an open letter.
Signatories include 65 current and former UN Special Procedures.
The experts urged Member States of the Human Rights Council to vote in favour of resolution A/HRC/55/L.6, extending the mandates of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran and the FFMI for a period of one year.
Here are the 77 distinguished signatories:
Distinguished Signatories
Fabián Salvioli
UN Special Rapporteur on Truth, Justice and Reparation (2018-present) – (Argentina)
Clément N. Voule
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association (2018-present) – (Togo)
Matthew Gillett
Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2022-present) – (New Zealand)
Ganna Yudkivska
Vice-Chair/Member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2022-present); former Judge, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) – (Ukraine)
Ana Brian Nougrères
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy (2021-present) – (Uruguay)
David R. Boyd
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment (2018-present) – (Canada)
Balakrishnan Rajagopal
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing (2020-present) – (United States)
Livingstone Sewanyana
UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order (2018-present) – (Uganda)
Chris M. A. Kwaja
Member of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries (2018-present) – (Nigeria)
Bina D’Costa
Member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2023-present) – (Australia and Bangladesh)
Miriam Ekiudoko
Member, UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2021-present) – (Hungary)
Catherine S. Namakula
Member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2021-present) – (Uganda)
Dominique Day
Member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2018-present) – (United States)
Agnès Callamard
UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions (2016-2021) – (France)
Ahmed Shaheed
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran (2011-2016); UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (2016-2022); Member, OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief (2022-present); Foreign Minister of Maldives (2005-2007 & 2008-2010) – (Maldives)
Heiner Bielefeldt
UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (2010-2016) – (Germany)
Yakin Ertürk
UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women (2003-2009) – (Turkey)
Manfred Nowak
Former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2004-2010); Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights – (Austria)
Annalisa Ciampi
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association (2017); Ad hoc Judge, European Court of Human Rights – (Italy)
Gabriela Knaul
UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (2009-2015) - (Brazil)
Juan E. Méndez
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2010-2016); Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide (2004-2007); former President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); Commissioner, International Commission of Jurists (2017-present) – (Argentina)
François Crépeau
UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants (2011-2017) – (Canada)
Michel Forst
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders (2014-2020); UN Independent Expert on Haiti (2008-2013) – (France)
Maud De Boer-Buquicchio
UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children (2014-2020); former Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe – (The Netherlands)
Anand Grover
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health (2008-2014) – (India)
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism (2017-2023) - (Ireland)
Dainius Pūras
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health (2014-2020); Chairman of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council (2018-2019) - (Lithuania)
Miklós Haraszti
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus (2012-2018) - (Hungary)
Marzuki Darusman
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK (2010-2016); Chair, UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (2017-2019); Member, UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (2013-2014); Chair of the UN Secretary General's Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka (2010-2011); Attorney General of Indonesia (1999-2001) - (Indonesia)
Gerard Quinn
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2020-2023) – (Ireland)
Alice Cruz
UN Special Rapporteur on Discrimination against Persons with Leprosy (2017-2023) – (Portugal)
Shaista Shameem
UN Special Rapporteur on the Use of Mercenaries (2004-2005); former Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries - (Fiji)
Michael Lynk
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories (2016-2022) - (Canada)
John Dugard
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories (2001–2008); Member of the International Law Commission (1997–2011) – (South Africa)
Jean Ziegler
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (2000-2008); former Vice-President of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee – (Switzerland)
Urmila Bhoola
UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery (2014-2020) – (South Africa)
Fernand de Varennes
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues (2017-2023) - (Canada)
Chaloka Beyani
UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (2010-2016); Member, UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya (2020-2023) - (Zambia)
Ian Fry
UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change (2022-2023) - (Tuvalu)
Joseph A. Cannataci
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy (2015-2021) - (Malta)
Baskut Tuncak
UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights (2014-2020) - (Turkey)
Christian Tomuschat
Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Commission on the Human Rights Situation in Guatemala (1990-1993); President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (2013-2019); Member of the UN Human Rights Committee (1977-1986); Member and Chairman of the UN International Law Commission (1985-1996) - (Germany)
Robert K. Goldman
UN Independent Expert on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism (2004-2005); President, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ); former President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) - (United States)
Adama Dieng
UN Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Haiti (1995-2001); UN Under Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide (2012-2020) - (Senegal)
Gay McDougall
UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues (2005-2011); Member, UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) - (United States)
Suliman Baldo
UN Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Mali (2013-2018) - (Sudan)
Alfred De Zayas
UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order (2012-2018) - (United States)
Hatem Kotrane
UN Independent Expert to Examine the Question of a Draft Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2001-2006); Member and Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2003-2013) – (Tunisia)
Bahame T. Nyanduga
UN Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Somalia (2014-2020) - (Tanzania)
Luciano Hazan
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2017-2023); Member of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) (2011-2017) - (Argentina)
Jeremy Sarkin
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2008-2014) - (South Africa)
Houria Esslami
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2014-2020) - (Morocco)
Ariel E. Dulitzky
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2010-2017) – (Argentina)
Santiago Corcuera
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2004-2009); Chair/Member of the UN Committee against Enforced Disappearances (CED) (2013-2017); Chair of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council (2009-2010) – (Mexico)
Stephen J Toope
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2002-2008) - (Canada)
Alda M. Facio
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls (2014-2020) - (Costa Rica)
Elizabeth Broderick
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls (2017-2023) – (Australia)
Mads Andenas
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2009-2015) - (Norway)
Jelena Aparac
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries (2018-2023) - (Croatia)
Ricardo A. Sunga III
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2014-2021) - (Philippines)
Mireille Fanon Mendes France
Chair-Rapporteur and Member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2011-2017) - (France)
Jasminka Džumhur
Former Vice-Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID); former Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW) - (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Soledad Villagra
Member, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2002-2008) - (Paraguay)
Sètondji Roland Adjovi
Member, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2014-2020) - (Benin)
Henrikas Mickevičius
Member, UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) (2015-2022) - (Lithuania)
Kamala Chandrakirana
Member, UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women in Law and Practice (2010-2017) - (Indonesia)
Yasmin Sooka
Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (present) - (South Africa)
Mike Smith
Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (2014-2016); Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights (2004); Assistant Secretary-General of the UN in New York and Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (2007-2013) - (Australia)
William A. Schabas
Chair of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict (2014-2015) - (Canada)
Richard J. Goldstone
Chair of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (2009-2010); former Chief Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda - (South Africa)
Sonja Biserko
Member, UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2013-2014) - (Serbia)
Susan Bazilli
UN Expert, OHCHR Examination of the Human Rights Situation in Belarus (2023-present) - (Canada)
Monika Płatek
UN Expert, OHCHR Examination of the Human Rights Situation in Belarus (2023-present) - (Poland)
Alexandro Álvarez
UN Expert, Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (2022-2023) - (Chile)
David M. Crane
Former Member, UN Commission of Inquiry on the 2018 Protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Founding Chief Prosecutor, UN Special Court for Sierra Leone - (United States)
Melissa Parke
Member, UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (2017–2021) - (Australia)
Ardi Imseis
Member, UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (2019–2021) - (Canada)