In his July 2020 report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran raised serious concerns over recurrent arrests and detentions of HRDs solely for
carrying out their legitimate work. 36 37 38The Special Rapporteur also stated that he was
“alarmed at the ongoing repression of women human rights defenders who object to compulsory
veiling.”39
Despite the existence of several mechanisms that ostensibly accept complaints regarding violations
of citizens' rights, such as the Article 90 Commission of the parliament (established based on
Article 90 of the Constitution, offering a mechanism to citizens to file complaint against any of
three brunch of power) and the Oversight Bodies for the exercise of Citizenship Rights in the
country's provincial courts, there is no evidence to suggest that complaints to these bodies are
independently reviewed and investigated.40 Additionally, as the State relies on the Iranian legal
framework to repress the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, access to
justice is particularly limited.
In light of the above-mentioned information, the Islamic Republic of Iran has not facilitated the
unconditional release of individuals imprisoned for exercising peacefully their rights to
expression, association, assembly, belief and religion.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
36
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2020,
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_Special_Rapporteur_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_
Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4361.pdf
37
See more: United for Iran, database of Iran’s prisons and political prisoners available at https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/
38
See more: EN-Human Rights Activists News Agency, https://www.en-hrana.org/?s=activists
39
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2020,
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_Special_Rapporteur_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_
Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4361.pdf
40
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee, Abdorrahman Center, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC),
Impact Iran and Human Rights Activists in Iran, 2020,
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2fCCPR%2fICS%2fIRN%2f42313
&Lang=en
4