Islamic Republic of Iran, there were at least 12 public executions between 1 January and 31
October 2019. 20
The Human Rights Committee has opined that public executions are contrary to Article 7 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights21 and therefore inevitably render the
execution arbitrary in nature, thus on violation of Article 6.22
C. The accused should, in all cases, be provided with all necessary guarantees,
including the right to a fair trial as provided under Article 14 of the ICCPR
OHCHR continues to receive regularly reports indicating that death sentences are passed
following proceedings that do not respect due process and fair trial standards.23 24 Similarly, the
NGOs Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC),
Impact Iran and Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) , documented numerous violations of
fair trial in the Islamic Republic of Iran as provided under Article 14 of the ICCPR. These
include violations of the right to legal counsel and to choose a lawyer as well as the right to
appeal, arbitrary arrests, the use of forced confessions as evidence, lack of independence of the
judiciary.
The Article 90 Commission of the Parliament is in charge of investigating complaints from
citizens made against the operations of the Parliament itself, the executive and the judiciary.25
There is no publicly available information on data relating to the number of complaints received
and investigated vis-à-vis cases of violations of the right to fair trial.
In the light of reported facts, the right to a fair trial is not guaranteed for the accused sentenced
with the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
20
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2020,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G20/021/53/PDF/G2002153.pdf?OpenElement
21
Human Rights Committee, Concluding Observations: Democratic Republic of Korea (2001), para. 13
22
UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment no. 36, Article 6 (Right to Life), 3 September 2019, CCPR/C/GC/35,
available at https://www.refworld.org/docid/5e5e75e04.html
23
See the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran available from
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/IRIndex.aspx
24
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2020,
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G20/021/53/PDF/G2002153.pdf?OpenElement
25
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/internal-regulation-on-the-commission-of-article-90-of-theconstitution/
3