the rights of individuals belonging to religious minorities22 23 enables the Iranian authorities to criminalize activities such as attending a house church or participating in religious conferences on the basis those activities can threaten the existence of the Islamic Republic and thus constitute a national security threat.24 For example, the Iranian Judiciary has reportedly prosecuted minority faith adherents, including non-Shia Muslims, for such activities on criminal charges such as “establishing a group that aims to disrupt national security” (Article 498), “membership in a group that aims to disrupt national security” (Article 499), and “spreading propaganda against the system” (Article 500) .25 26 27 28 29 In its National Report to the Universal Periodic review in 2019, the Islamic Republic of Iran reported that it provided human rights training for judges, judicial officers and administrative staff “on the rights of the child, the rights of persons with disabilities, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment and he confronting against domestic violence” as well as training courses on citizenship rights.30 However, there is no readily available information indicating the content of such training or how they may ensure that all verdicts are in compliance with international standards. The absence or lack of clarity and precision of offences provided under Iranian law grant judges broad interpretative powers, which undermine the legality of decision and legal certainty. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not amended these broadly defined criminal offences. B. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to adopt all measures necessary to effectively guarantee the right of anyone to be free from arbitrary deprivation of 22 In its Article 19, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran omits an explicit reference provision recognizing religion or belief as a protected characteristic against discrimination. Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, English translation, https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/constitution-english-1368.pdf 23 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 24 Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf 25 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-book-five/ 26 Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-andreligious-minorities-in-Iran.pdf 27 See more: United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/ 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 National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, UPR 2019, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1 28 3