prosecute minority faith adherents, including non-Shia Muslims, for such activities on charges
related to national security.20 21
The aforementioned restrictions fail to meet international standards, including the principles of
legality and requirements that limitations must be necessary, proportionate and in pursuit of one
of a limited number of narrowly drawn legitimate aims.22 Consequently, the current Iranian legal
framework grants authorities’ significant discretion to impose overbroad and vague restrictions
on individuals’ rights in contravention of Iran’s international human rights obligations.
Iranian authorities frequently resort to the aforementioned legal provisions to intimidate, arrest
and prosecute individuals who peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of expression,
association and assembly, including journalists and media workers, trade unionists, lawyers,
environmental and abolitionist activists.23 24 25 26 These include adherents of recognized and
unrecognized religions,27 including members and leaders of the Baha’i faith,28 29 as well as
members of minorities. 30 31
With regards to the protests which took place in December 2017 and continued throughout
January 2018,32 Iranian authorities killed at least 21 individuals and arrested over 3,700
individuals.33
20
Articles 498 (“establishing a group that aims to disrupt national security”), 499 (“membership in a group that aims to disrupt
national security”), and 500 (“spreading propaganda against the system”), Islamic Penal Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran
(2013), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-bookfive/
21
Rights Denied: Violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, https://minorityrights.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-and-religious-minorities-in-Iran.pdf
22
Article 19, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
23
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
24
See more: Iran Human Rights, https://www.iranhr.net/en/reports/23/
25
See more: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/controlled-and-pursued-labor-activism-incontemporary-iran/
26
See more: Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort, https://www.ecpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapport-iran-2020-gb-070420WEB.pdf
27
See more: United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/
28
Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/more-bahais-begin-serving-prison-sentences-in-iransimply-for-their-beliefs/
29
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
30
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/
31
See more: Kurdistan Human Rights Geneva, https://kmmk-ge.org/sd/annual-report-2020/
32
Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/12/hardline-officials-blame-wave-of-protests-in-iranon-rouhani-government-and-foreign-powers/
33
Article 19, https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-protests-confirm-need-push-transparency-iran-now/
3