prosecute individuals who peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, including journalists and media workers, trade unionists, and lawyers. 20 21 22 23 NGOs have reported a pattern of violations to the aforementioned human rights disproportionately targeting members of minority or marginalised groups. 24 25 26 27 28 29 The authorities have continued to respond to protests with excessive and unlawful force. Antigovernment protests that erupted in late December 2017 were met with a heavy-handed response by state forces, reportedly resulting in at least 21 deaths and hundreds of arrests.30 In November 2019, authorities violently repressed protests across the country.31 32 Reportedly, the death toll ranges from verified reports of 304,33 to unconfirmed reports of up to 1500 deaths,34 and the number of those injured by security forces estimated at several thousand.35Around 7,000 persons were arrested and detained according to a spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy, with trials ongoing, some resulting in death sentences as See more : ARTICLE 19, Small Media, Human Rights Activists in Iran, Impact Iran, Human Rights Committee, 129th session (Geneva) 29 June – 24 July 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_ICS_IRN_42315_E.pdf 21 See more: Iran Human Rights, https://www.iranhr.net/en/reports/23/ 22 See more: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/controlled-and-pursued-labor-activism-incontemporary-iran/ 23 See more: Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort, https://www.ecpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapport-iran-2020-gb-070420WEB.pdf 24 See more: Association for the human rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran, http://www.ahraz.org/association-for-the-humanrights-of-the-azerbaijani-people-in-iran-ahrazs-repot-regarding-the-current-situation-of-the-azerbaijani-arrestees-that-arearrested-during-the-recent-protests-nove/ 25 See more: Kurdistan Human Rights Geneva, https://kmmk-ge.org/sd/annual-report-2020/ 26 See more: United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/ 27 Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/more-bahais-begin-serving-prison-sentences-in-iransimply-for-their-beliefs/ 28 See more: Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva, Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf 29 “Iran arrests 29 linked to protests against compulsory hijab laws”, New York Times, 2 February 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/world/middleeast/iran-hijab-protests-arrests.html 30 “Iran: protect constitutional right to protest”, ARTICLE 19, 3 January 2018. https://tinyurl.com/ycodj649 31 Iran: Protests met with violent crackdown and online censorship,” ARTICLE19, 19 November 2020. https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-protests-met-with-violent-crackdown-and-online-censorship/ 32 “Iran: Details released of 304 deaths during protests six months after security forces’ killing spree,” Amnesty International. 20 May 2020. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/iran-details-released-of-304-deaths-during-protests-six-monthsafter-security-forceskilling-spree/ 33 Iran: Details released of 304 deaths during protests six months after security forces’ killing spree,” Amnesty International. 20 May 2020. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/iran-details-released-of-304-deaths-during-protests-six-monthsafter-security-forceskilling-spree/ 34 “Special Report: Iran’s leader ordered crackdown on unrest - 'Do whatever it takes to end it',” Reuters. 23 December 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-protests-specialreport/special-report-irans-leader-ordered-crackdown-on-unrest-dowhatever-ittakes-to-end-it-idUSKBN1YR0QR 35 “Iran: Details released of 304 deaths during protests six months after security forces’ killing spree,” Amnesty International. 20 May 2020. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/iran-details-released-of-304-deaths-during-protests-six-monthsafter-security-forceskilling-spree/ 20 4