Political Rights, both online and offline.26 Similarly, overbroad restrictions, vaguely worded and generic bans on freedom of expression are inconsistent with international standards.27 The authorities frequently resort to the Iranian legal framework 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, and lawyers. 28 29 30 31 NGOs have reported a pattern of targeting members of minority of marginalized groups attempting to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.32 33 34 35 36 37 In the same way, the Iranian legal framework enables Iranian authorities to severely restrict freedom of expression and the right to information online. In 2018, Iran’s Cyber Police announced that since its foundation in 2010, it had arrested 74,917 people due to their online activities.38 This number includes many individuals such as bloggers and other social media personalities. Iranian authorities regularly block or restrict access to websites and social media platforms.39 The Government blocked the messaging application Telegram in 2018, an important mean of communication of information in Iran,40 and a number of its administrators have been arrested and charged with encouraging protests, “disturbing public opinion” and/or “promoting 26 UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), General comment no. 34, Article 19, Freedoms of opinion and expression, 12 September 2011, CCPR/C/GC/34 , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4ed34b562.html 27 UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), General comment no. 34, Article 19, Freedoms of opinion and expression, 12 September 2011, CCPR/C/GC/34 , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4ed34b562.html 28 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 29 See more: Iran Human Rights, https://www.iranhr.net/en/reports/23/ 30 See more: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/controlled-and-pursued-labor-activism-incontemporary-iran/ 31 See more: Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort, https://www.ecpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapport-iran-2020-gb-070420WEB.pdf 32 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/ 33 See more: Kurdistan Human Rights Geneva, https://kmmk-ge.org/sd/annual-report-2020/ 34 See more: United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/ 35 Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/more-bahais-begin-serving-prison-sentences-in-iransimply-for-their-beliefs/ 36 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 37 “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 38 Small Media, Digital Rights in Iran, UPR Submission, Session 34 : <https://uprdoc.ohchr.org/uprweb/downloadfile.aspx?filename=6980&file=EnglishTranslation > 39 Small Media, Digital Rights in Iran, UPR Submission, Session 34 : <https://uprdoc.ohchr.org/uprweb/downloadfile.aspx?filename=6980&file=EnglishTranslation > 40 Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/02/iran-assault-access-information 4