the country’s recognized religions to the state-issued National Identity Card—which is required for almost all government and other transactions. 38 The lack of legal safeguards enables the Iranian authorities to restrict the rights of members belonging to religious minorities and even to criminalize a wide range of their peaceful activities. Reports have shown that religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran face human rights violations such as arbitrary deprivation of life and extrajudicial executions, a disproportionate number of executions on national security-related charges; arbitrary arrests and detention in connection with range of peaceful activities, incitement to hatred, forced closure of businesses and discriminatory practices and denial of employment and restrictions on access to education and other basic services.39 Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees that all people enjoy equal rights, “whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong” and that “color, race, language, and the like, do not bestow any privilege.”40 Article 20 of the constitution states that “All citizens of the country, both men and women, equally enjoy the protection of the law and enjoy all human, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, in conformity with Islamic criteria.” Yet, Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Balochis and Kurds face targeted discriminations on the basis of their identity and are generally sidelined from general public services, including education and health care. For instance, the use of minority languages is effectively restricted under the Constitution, notably in school where the teaching of a minority language is only permitted for literature classes. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran raised concerns about reports of Kurdish, Ahwazi Arab and Azerbaijani-Turk (or Azeri-Turk) lacking access to education in their mother tongues. 41 42 These concerns were echoed by the U.N Secretary General, 43 44 45 noting reports indicating that members of ethno-linguistic minorities, including the Azeri community as well as Arabs, were being denied the opportunity to teach their 38 Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2020/01/bahais-unrecognized-minorities-in-iran-must-nowhide-religion-to-obtain-government-id/ 39 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019, https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2F74%2F188&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop 40 The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, English translation, https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wpcontent/uploads/constitution-english-1368.pdf 41 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 42 See more : Association for the human rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CRC_NGO_IRN_19735_E.pdf 43 IRNA News, www.irna.ir/news/83404283/ (in Farsi). 44 Report of the U.N. Secretary General, January 2020, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_SecretaryGeneral_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4320.pdf 45 Report of the U.N. Secretary General, January 2020, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_SecretaryGeneral_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4320.pdf 5