Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A/HRC/37/68 para 81
Full recommendation:
In connection with the recent protests, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to promptly
report to the families the name, location, and other relevant information of all individuals taken
into custody, and to carry out prompt, independent and effective investigations into the
authorities’ response to the protests and the circumstances of the deaths in custody of those
arrested, with a view to holding the perpetrators of any violations committed accountable.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
A. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to promptly report to the families
the name, location, and other relevant information of all individuals taken into
custody
The current prisons’ operational regulation,2 passed in 1986, put the management of all prisons,
detention centres and affiliated bodies under the responsibility of the Prisons Organisation.3 Such
provision is reiterated under Article 18 of the Prison Regulations which was passed in 2001.
However, the existence of secret detention centres or facilities, that are run without the
supervision of the Prisons Organisation, is not explicitly prohibited. Secret detention centres run
by security and intelligence bodies, notably the Ministry of Intelligence and the intelligence unit
of the Revolutionary Guards, reportedly remain prevalent in the Islamic Republic of Iran.4
Additionally, security and intelligence bodies can, with the approval5 and under the supervision
of the Prisons Organisation,6 set up “security detention facilities”. Prosecutors are obliged to
1
CCPR.9.1.S.1; CCPR.9.1.S.2; CCPR.9.1.S.3; CCPR.9.2.S.1; CCPR.9.3.S.2; CCPR.14.1.S.2; CCPR.9.1.P.1; CCPR.9.1.P.2;
CCPR.9.1.P.5; CCPR.9.1.P.6; CCPR.9.2.P.1; CCPR.9.3.P.1; CCPR.9.1.O.1; CCPR.9.1.O.1; CCPR.9.2.O.1; CCPR.9.2.O.4;
CCPR.14.1.O.8
2
Full title: The Law Replacing the Supervisory Council on Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures with the State Prisons
Organization and Security and Corrective Measures, 1986.
3
Prison Regulations, Article 18. In 1986, the Prisons Organization replaced the Supervisory Council on Prisons and Security and
Corrective Measures. See the Law Replacing the Supervisory Council on Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures with the
State Prisons Organization and Security and Corrective Measures, 26 January 1986, available on the website of the Islamic
Parliament Research Centre at rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91160 (accessed on 14 July 2015). Article 9 of the Law required the
passage of an executive by-law which was passed in July 2001, 15 years after the adoption of the Law of Alteration in 1986. The
2001 Prison Regulations were subjected to amendments in 2002 and 2010.
4
See more: Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1328912020ENGLISH.PDF
5
Prohibition of Forming Special Detention Facilities and Allocation of One Detention Facility for Security Crimes in Each
Province, www.rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/131562 ; Executive Regulations for Management of Security Detention Facilities, 21
November 2006, Note to Article 3, https://bit.ly/3loEKSf
6
Executive Regulations for Management of Security Detention Facilities, 21 November 2006, Articles 2 and 4-6,
https://bit.ly/3o9sqak
1