The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its responses concerning Mr. Arzhang Davoodi and Mrs. Yeganeh Salehi. He is following closely further developments on the cases mentioned in the communication. Therefore, the Special Rapporteur would appreciate receiving information on the proceedings against Mr. Arzhang Davoodi and Mr. Jason Rezaian, as well as additional details on the case of Mrs. Yeganeh Salehi, who according to the information provided by the Government was released on bail on 1 October 2014. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government did not provide information on the allegations regarding the detention of the other two journalists on the evening of 22 July 2014. He urges authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran that all proceedings fully comply with international law standards.

Restrictions on the rights of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran remain deeply concerning. Adherents of recognized and unrecognized religions continue to report arrests and prosecution for worship and participation in religious community affairs, including in private. Measures that exclude religious minorities from legal protections for civil, political, social or economic rights, or that impose special restrictions on the practices or manifestations of religious beliefs continue to violate the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the Covenant and should be addressed.

Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur would like to refer to General Assembly resolution 63/181, in which the Assembly urges States to step up their efforts to protect and promote freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and to this end, to exert the utmost efforts, in accordance with their national legislation and in conformity with international human rights law, to ensure that religious places, sites, shrines and symbols are fully respected and protected and to take additional measures in cases where they are vulnerable to desecration and destruction. As mentioned, inter alia, in paragraph 4 of the Human Rights Committee's general comment no. 22, places of worship are an essential element of the manifestation of the right to freedom of religion or belief to the extent that the great majority of religious communities or communities of belief need the existence of a place of worship where their members can manifest their faith. Moreover, unlike other forms of violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief, attacks or other forms of restriction on places of worship or other religious sites and shrines in many cases violate the right not only of a single individual, but the rights of a group of individuals forming the community that is attached to the place in question

The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has so far not received a reply from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning the above mentioned allegations. She would like to recall that the Human Rights Council in resolution 6/37 urges States to take all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, as well as incitement to hostility and violence, with particular regard to religious minorities.

The Special Rapporteur is grateful that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran replied to the joint communication of 17 October 2008. She would like to reiterate the observations and concerns in her previous report (see A/HRC/10/8/Add.1, paras. 94 and paras. 111-112). The Special Rapporteur again urges the Government to ensure that the Baha'i members, who have been detained for more than 20 months so far, receive a fair trial and in this regard she would like to recommend the presence of independent observers during the trials. Reportedly, the trial of Ms. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm and Ms. Mahvash Sabet began on 12 January 2010 in Tehran, however, no observers were allowed inside the court at that session

Furthermore, she would like to recall that the General Assembly resolution 63/181 urges States to step up their efforts to eliminate intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, notably by taking all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, discrimination, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, as well as incitement to hostility or violence, with particular regard to members of religious minorities in all parts of the world. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur is very concerned by the continued violations of freedom of religion or belief suffered by members of the Baha'i community. She urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure that the Baha'i members who are currently detained receive a fair trial and she would like to recommend the presence of independent observers during the trials.

The Special Rapporteur urged the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to take all necessary measures to guarantee that the rights and freedoms of Mr. Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad, Mr. Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat and Mr. Ramtin Soodmand are respected. She also requested that the Government ensures the compatibility of any new legislation adopted by the Iranian Parliament with international human rights law.

He encourages the Government to amend laws that continue to undermine women’s full enjoyment of civil political, social, and economic rights, including rights in family law, the right to equal access to education and the right to work. Draft legislation currently under consideration that appears to infringe on these rights raises serious concern, and should be reconsidered.

The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not responded to seven communications sent during the reporting period. In the absence of a response and clarification on the cases addressed there in and given the irreversible nature of capital punishment, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take all necessary measures to prevent the execution of the subjects of these communications.

The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government for its response, in which it is indicated that the case was under reconsideration and the final verdict had to be issued. Therefore, he would like to urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran not to execute Ms. Razieh Ebrahimi.

The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its response to this communication. In its response, the Government indicated that Mr. Ali Chibshat and Mr. Seyyed Khaled Mousavi were arrested on charge of conducting terrorist acts. According to the information provided by the Government, their file was considered in a Court in the city of Ahvaz and the verdict was appealed. The appeal Court reconsidered the case and reaffirmed the verdict. In interpreting article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has consistently rejected the imposition of a death sentence for offences that do not result in the loss of life, finding that only cases involving murder meet the threshold of the most serious crimes provision. The Special Rapporteur urges the Iranian authorities to bring its domestic legislation into conformity with the most serious crimes provision under international law, and refrain from any further death sentence or execution in violation of these standards.

The Special Rapporteur notes that 17 communications were sent to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the period under review. He thanks the Government for the responses received to five communications. At the same time, he regrets that the Government did not provide replies to 12 communications, and encourages it to respond substantively to all of them. The Special Rapporteur is particularly concerned about the high number of cases regarding the imposition of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran in contravention of international human rights law, namely of the most serious crimes provision and the standards on fair trial and due process safeguards. Should these allegations be corroborated, he strongly encourages the Government to stay all executions and commute without delay the death sentences. He also calls upon the Government to bring its domestic legislation and practice in conformity with the international law requirements regarding the imposition of the death penalty in the countries which have not yet abolished it.

He calls upon the authorities to ensure a thorough, prompt and impartial criminal investigation of the death of Mr. Satar Beheshti, as well as to criminally prosecute and punish all those responsible.

He calls upon the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure the highest level of respect of the rights and freedoms of Mr. Younos/Yunes Aghayan.

Should any of the alleged violations of procedural safeguards in the proceedings conducted against him be confirmed, the Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran not to execute Mr. Behrooz Alkhani Aghbarzeh (Mr. Behrouz Alakhani), and commute without delay his sentence.

As a consequence, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to commute without delay the death sentence against Mr. Aref Hamediyan (Aref Hamidian).

In a press release issued on 22 September 2011, the Special Rapporteur, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, issued a press statement in which they condemned the public execution of the juvenile Alizera Molla-Soltani, expressed concern at the high frequency of drug related executions (see above JUA 20/09/2011 Case No. IRN 12/2011) and reiterated their call for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty particularly in drug related and juvenile cases

The Special Rapporteur deeply regrets that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not responded to any of the seven communications sent during the reporting period. In the absence of a response and clarification on the cases addressed therein and given the irreversible nature of capital punishment, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take all necessary measures to prevent the execution of the subjects of these communications.

International law, in particular Article 6(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, guarantees the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence from the State authorities. Where the diyah pardon is available, it must be supplemented by a separate, public system for seeking an official pardon or commutation.

Merely taking gradual measures to decrease the carrying out of death sentences against offenders who were juveniles is an utterly inadequate approach to complying with your Excellency's Government's obligations under international law, which can only be fulfilled by immediately stopping all executions for crimes committed by persons who were not aged 18 at the time of the offence. Laws permitting the death sentence to be imposed on juvenile offenders are inherently inconsistent with the international legal obligations assumed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and should be promptly repealed.

We urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to ensure that the rights under international law of Sareimeh Ebadi and Bu-Ali Janfeshani are respected. Considering the irremediable nature of capital punishment and the fact that the death sentence for adultery is incompatible with your Government's obligations under international law, this can only mean suspension of the executions and eventually commutation of the death sentences.

I therefore urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that no one is executed on the basis of a judgment finding him or her guilty of moharebeh, that all death sentences imposed on charges of moharebeh are reviewed, and that the death penalty is no longer imposed on charges of moharebeh.

In view of the urgency of the matter, we would appreciate a response on the initial steps taken by your Government to safeguard the rights of the above-mentioned persons in compliance with the above international instruments.

Finally, without expressing at this stage an opinion on whether the arrests of protestors on 27 December 2009 are arbitrary or not, we would like to appeal to your Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee their right not to be deprived arbitrarily of their liberty and to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal, in accordance with articles 9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

I would therefore respectfully request your Government to take all necessary steps to ensure that Mohammad Reza Haddadi is not executed tomorrow. Moreover, in order to ensure compliance with the absolute ban of the death sentence against juvenile offenders in international human rights law, the death sentence will have to be commuted.

In view of the urgency of the matter, we would appreciate a response on the initial steps taken by your Excellency's Government to safeguard the rights of the seven men mentioned herein in compliance with your Excellency's Government's international legal obligations

Only the full respect for stringent due process guarantees distinguishes capital punishment as still allowed under international law from a summary execution, which violates the most fundamental human right. We therefore urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that the rights under international law of Messrs Ali Saedi, Walid Naisi, Majid Fardipour (Majid Mahawi), Doayr Mahawi, Maher Mahawi, Ahmad Saedi, and Yousuf Leftehpour are respected. Considering the irreversible nature of capital punishment, this can only mean suspension of the death sentence against the seven men until the question of whether fair trial guarantees were respected has been clarified and the allegations of torture have been thoroughly investigated and all doubts in this respect dispelled.

I therefore urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that Habibollah Latifi, Ehsan (Esma'il) Fattahian and Sherko Moarefi are not deprived of their lives in violation of the obligations your Excellency's Government has entered into under international law. Considering the irreversible nature of capital punishment, this can only mean suspension of the death sentence against them until the question whether the acts they were found guilty of satisfy the international criteria as to what constitutes "most serious crimes" has been clarified.

In view of the urgency of this matter and of the irreversibility of the punishment of the death penalty, it is imperative that your Excellency's Government should take all steps necessary to prevent the execution of Mr Behnood Shoojaee and Mr Safar Angooti. I therefore again urge your Excellency's Government to suspend the executions reportedly already scheduled and expeditiously lift or commute the death sentences imposed against Mr Safar Angooti and Mr. Behnood Shoojaee, as well as all other persons awaiting execution for offences committed before they reached age 18.

In view of the urgency of this matter and of the irreversibility of the punishment of the death penalty, it is imperative that your Excellency's Government should take all steps necessary to prevent the execution of Mr Abbas Hosseini, which if carried out will be inconsistent with acceptable standards of international law. Further, the unsuccessful negotiations so far, for compensation (diyeh) to the victim's family should not form the basis for carrying out the execution of the death penalty. I therefore urge your Excellency's Government to lift or commute the death sentence imposed against Mr Abbas Hosseini.

I respectfully urge your Excellency's Government to take all measures necessary to comply with the commitments it has undertaken under international law. These measures were, in my view, accurately reflected in the recommendations issued by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, which called on the Islamic Republic of Iran in January 2005 (See CRC/C/15/Add. 254, 28 January 2005, at par. 30)

I would respectfully reiterate my appeal to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to take all necessary steps to avoid executions that would be inconsistent with accepted standards of international human rights law and to take steps to bring its legislation in compliance with Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political, to which it is a party.

I wish to thank your Excellency for your letter dated 15 July 2009 in response to my letter of 23 August 2007, in respect to another case in which the accused juvenile offender had been sentenced to qesas. Your letter indicates that through efforts of the Judiciary, the case had entered the reconciliation case and that as a result of the victim's guardians giving their consent the execution had been stopped and the accused released. While I welcome this outcome, I remain concerned that such efforts to decrease the carrying out of death sentences against offenders who were juveniles is an utterly inadequate approach to complying with your Excellency's Government's obligations under international law. These can only be fulfilled by immediately stopping all executions for crimes committed by persons who were not aged 18 at the time of the offence. Laws permitting the death sentence to be imposed on juvenile offenders are inherently inconsistent with the international legal obligations assumed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and should be promptly repealed.

I would therefore respectfully request Your Excellency's Government to take all necessary steps to commute the sentence of execution [of Mohammad Reza Haddadi] in order to ensure compliance with the applicable standards of international human rights law.

Although the death penalty is not, per se, prohibited under international law, I would like to remind your Excellency's Government that it must be regarded as an extreme exception to the fundamental right to life, and must as such be interpreted in the most restrictive manner. It is crucial that all restrictions and fair trial standards pertaining to capital punishment contained in international human rights law are fully respected in proceedings relating to capital offences. As Article 14(5) of the ICCPR provides, "Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law." Since the Head of the Judiciary has ordered a review of Mr. Haddadi's case, no execution should be carried out before the completion of the review

In view of the urgency of the matter, we would appreciate a response on the initial steps taken by your Excellency's Government to safeguard the rights of the above-mentioned persons in compliance with the above international instruments

In the event that your investigations support or suggest the above allegations to be correct, we urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that the rights and freedoms of the aforementioned person(s) (ensure the right of peaceful assembly) are respected and accountability of any person guilty of the alleged violations is ensured. We also request that your Excellency's Government adopt effective measures to prevent the recurrence of these acts.

(Iran: Post-election violence killings of 5 students and 7 others Violation alleged: Deaths due to the use of force by law enforcement officials or persons acting in direct or indirect compliance with the State, when the use of force is inconsistent with the criteria of absolute necessity and proportionality )

In this context, we would further like to appeal to your Excellency's Government to take all necessary steps to ensure the right of peaceful assembly as recognized in article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides that "The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security of public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals of the protection of the rights and freedoms of others".

We should also like to appeal to your Excellency's Government to take all necessary steps to secure the right to freedom of opinion and expression of the above mentioned persons (people arrested following the 2009 elections), in accordance with fundamental principles as set forth in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reiterated in article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which provides that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice‚".

(Regarding post-election violence killings of 5 students and 7 others. killing of students Fatemeh Barati, Kasra Sharafi, Mobina Ehterami, Kambiz Sho'a'i and Mohsen Imani along with at least seven other protesters and the arbitrary detention of dozens of opposition activists following recent elections in Iran.) Without expressing at this stage an opinion on the facts of the case and on whether the detention of the abovementioned persons is arbitrary or not, we would like to appeal to your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee their right not to be deprived arbitrarily of their liberty and to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal, in accordance with articles 9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Without in any way implying any conclusion as to the facts of the case, we should like to appeal to your Excellency's Government to seek clarification of the circumstances regarding the cases of the persons named above. We would like to stress that each Government has the obligation to protect the right to physical and mental integrity of all persons. This right is set forth inter alia in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

I would respectfully reiterate my appeal to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to take all necessary steps to avoid executions that would be inconsistent with accepted standards of international human rights law and to take steps to bring its legislation in compliance with Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political, to which it is a party. In particular, I urge your Government to expeditiously lift or commute the death sentences imposed against Amir Khaleghi and Safar Angooti as well as all other persons awaiting executions for offences committed before they reached age 18. All other efforts undertaken by your Government to prevent these executions are insufficient to meet its obligations under international treaties it is a Party to.

I therefore again urge your Excellency's Government to expeditiously lift or commute the death sentences imposed against Mr. Abu Moslem Sohrabi, as well as all other persons awaiting execution for offences committed before they reached age 18. All other efforts undertaken by your Government to prevent these executions are insufficient to meet its obligations under international treaties it is a Party to.

We would also like to appeal to your Excellency's Government to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief in accordance with the principles set forth in the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief and article 18 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights as well as of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We therefore urge your Excellency's Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that Yunes Aghayan is not deprived of his life in violation of the obligations your Excellency's Government has entered into under international law. Considering the irremediable nature of capital punishment, this can only mean suspension of the death sentence against him until the question whether the acts he was found guilty of satisfy international criteria for what constitutes 'most serious crimes' has been clarified.

As we have explained in previous communications to your Excellency's Government, the imposition of the death sentence on charges of 'mohareb' is highly problematic. We are concerned that this charge, which according to our information in Iran is directed mainly against political dissidents, critics of the Government and persons accused of espionage, might not be sufficiently well defined to satisfy the very strict standards of legality set by Article 6(2) of the Covenant for the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty. In order for the sentence of death to be imposed "in accordance with the law‚" the law in question must be sufficiently precise to clearly allow distinction between conduct punishable with the capital sentence and conduct not so punishable. (See the communications of 31 August 2006 concerning the imposition of the death penalty against Ali Motirijejad and others (reproduced in A/HRC/4/20/Add.1, pages 165f), of 26 July 2007 concerning the imposition of the death penalty against Abdolwahed (Hiwa) Butimar and Adnan Hassanpour (reproduced in A/HRC/8/3/Add.1, pages 210f), and of 18 July 2008 in the cases of Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakil

I therefore again urge your Excellency's Government to expeditiously lift or commute the death sentences imposed against Mr. Abu Moslem Sohrabi, as well as all other persons awaiting execution for offences committed before they reached age 18. All other efforts undertaken by your Government to prevent these executions are insufficient to meet its obligations under international treaties it is a Party to.

Improve transparency on the impact of sanctions and report on measures it has taken to protect its inhabitants from the potential and actual negative impacts of such sanctions.

Consider a moratorium on capital punishment until the efficacy of judicial safeguards can be meaningfully demonstrated, and stay the execution of individuals who have alleged violations of their due process rights.

Ensure that deaths in custody and allegations of violations of due process and of ill-treatment are promptly, independently, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority with a view to holding perpetrators accountable and in compliance with the right to a fair trial.

Respect and fulfil the duty to conduct prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into all reports of torture or other ill-treatment, and hold perpetrators accountable;

Ensure furlough and family visitation rights to all prisoners

Ensure that prisoners are provided with food of appropriate nutritional value, quantity and quality and that drinking water is made readily available to all prisoners;

Make substantial investments in all prisons to reduce overcrowding, provide adequate sleeping facilities to prisoners and ensure that the essential personal hygiene of prisoners is maintained;

Pending its abolishment, ensure that solitary confinement is used only in exceptional cases, as a last resort and for as short a time as possible, following authorization by a competent authority and subject to independent review;

Pass the parliamentary bill introduced in September 2019 aimed at ending the recording and broadcasting of confessions on State-funded media prior to trial and ensure punishments for those involved in recording and broadcasting such confessions

Ensure that medical care for detainees is never made conditional upon their making confessions and that officials who deny medical care to prisoners and detainees or who withhold medication as a form of coercion, as punishment or to elicit confessions are punished;

adopt regulations restricting the use of restraints in accordance with international laws and standards, including by ensuring that restraints are never used in a degrading, humiliating or painful manner or as a form of punishment and that they are used only when strictly necessary;

Ensure that medical decisions that relate to ongoing care and observation of the prisoners outside prison and the necessity of their release on medical grounds are only taken by the relevant, responsible health-care professionals;

End the unlawful practice of requiring prisoners to pay for medical treatment, which violates both international and Iranian law;

Ensure that all prisoners requiring specialist or any other treatment not available within prison are transferred free of cost to specialized institutions or outside hospitals to receive such treatment and that they remain in those institutions or hospitals for as long as the treatment is deemed necessary by specialist doctors;

Ensure that all detained individuals receive adequate health care, without discrimination on grounds of political or legal situation, ethnicity, religion, political opinion, gender, sexual orientation or other status

Ensure that medical care is urgently provided to those individuals in detention who need it, in light of the imminent threat to life or serious deterioration of their health, and that all individuals in custody receive adequate, prompt and regular health care, including specialist care as needed, on the basis of their informed consent

Immediately release all dual and foreign nationals arbitrarily detained

End the policy of prohibiting or severely limiting women's attendance at public sporting events, and bring both laws and policies protecting women's rights into compliance with international standards;

Ensure that lethal force is used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life, in accordance with principle 9 of the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, and that everyone is allowed to participate in lawful and peaceful assemblies, in accordance with article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Ensure that human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists, are not threatened with or subjected to intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, deprivation of liberty or other arbitrary sanction, and release all those detained in connection with their work;

Protect the rights of all persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, address all forms of discrimination against them and release all those imprisoned for having exercised their right to freedom of religion or belief

Ensure that all persons accused of any crime have access to a lawyer of their choosing during all stages of the judicial process, including during the initial investigation and interrogation stage, and are provided with legal aid as needed;

Amend the Islamic Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure that confessions alone are not sufficient for establishing guilt;

Ensure that prisoners and detainees are protected from all forms of torture and ill-treatment and that confessions obtained through torture or ill-treatment are never admitted as evidence against the accused

Pending its abolishment, remove the death penalty as punishment for all offences other than the most serious crimes, which involve intentional killing, and ensure that all individuals sentenced to death for offences other than intentional killing have their sentences commuted;

Take all measures necessary to mitigate the effects of economic sanctions, meet the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including on the protection of vulnerable groups, and establish transparent financial mechanisms to ensure that trade in medicines and other essential humanitarian items continues;

Ensure that all those arrested, including those arrested during the November 2019 protests, for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, assembly and association are released, and ensure also that the detaining authorities promptly report the whereabouts and situation of detainees to their families;

Undertake prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all acts of violence that have taken place in the context of the November 2019 protests, including deaths of protesters and reported deaths in custody, and into reports of ill-treatment, and to hold those responsible accountable

The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to ensure the protection of the rights of LGBT and intersex individuals by repealing laws that punish people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, and enacting effective anti-discrimination laws, and to ban forced and involuntary treatment and medical procedures.

The Special Rapporteur also calls upon the Government to respect the right to freedom of religion and belief, to address all forms of discrimination in all spheres of life, to uphold and implement legislation that protects minority groups and individuals, and to ensure the release of all individuals imprisoned on the basis of their religion, belief or identity

The Special Rapporteur further calls on the Government to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and to amend laws that violate the rights of women, including the rights to freedom of movement and work and the right to be free from discrimination, especially in the workplace and in the hiring process. She urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to protect children born within its jurisdiction by facilitating the ability of women to pass on their citizenship to their sons and daughters, and to amend laws and regulations, including on dress code that infringe upon the rights of women and undermines their dignity. In the light of the high rates of child marriage, which is never in the best interest of the child, the Special Rapporteur reiterates her call upon the Government to take steps to ensure that the minimum age for marriage complies with international standards.

The Special Rapporteur further notes that an independent bar association is vital to the promotion to the rule of law. All executive and judicial interference in management and working of bar associations should be removed and the bar association should be made an autonomous and self- regulatory body.

The Special Rapporteur also reiterates her call upon the Government to ensure that the judiciary is free from interference of any kind and to uphold the integrity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, through transparent and merit-based appointments, and through protecting them and their families and professional associates against all forms of reprisals as a result of discharging their functions. The judiciary should also be held accountable for ensuring that proceedings are conducted fairly and that the rights of the parties are respected, through a mechanism that is consistent with the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.

The Special Rapporteur is also deeply concerned by the ongoing, numerous, and consistent reports received of due process violations, including but not limited to the use of prolonged solitary confinement and significant limitations placed upon the ability of the accused to access a lawyer. In particular she calls upon the Government to strictly limit the use of solitary confinement and ensure full access to their choice of lawyer. She further reiterates her recommendation to abolish the revolutionary tribunals and religious courts in line with the recommendations made by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention following its visit to the country.

The Special Rapporteur continues to receive reports of reprisals, in particular of individuals sharing information or publically reporting on the situation of human rights in the country. The Government should take strict measures to ensure protection against reprisals against of such individuals and their families. Individuals or State entities that engage in such acts should be identified and held accountable to prevent a recurrence of such violations.

The Special Rapporteur further reiterates her call upon the Government to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience including those whose situation has been reflected in current and previous reports and communications, and all individuals identified as arbitrarily detained by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The Special Rapporteur further urges the Government, in line with its international obligations, to guarantee the freedom of the press and media, and immediately release all detainees who have been imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of opinion, expression and unobstructed peaceful assembly. The Special Rapporteur further urges the Government to amend or rescind laws, policies and parliamentary measures that contravene freedom of expression and that restrict access to information, including online information.

The Special Rapporteur notes with grave concern a pattern of denial of medical treatment to certain categories of detainees, especially prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, and human rights defenders, and urges the Government to investigate, address, and remedy such allegations, in light of the imminent threat to life in many circumstances.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to investigate and address allegations of physical and psychological torture and other ill treatment in detention, and to prevent their reoccurrence, including through ensuring accountability of the perpetrators. International organizations should be permitted regular, unhindered and without-notice access to all places of detention.

The Special Rapporteur recalls that the right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can never be limited or interfered with, and urges the Government to abolish all provisions that authorize such punishments such as flogging and amputation.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates her call upon the Government to undertake thorough and independent investigation into the 1988 massacres, and further ensure that locations believed to be the site of mass graves are persevered and protected to this end

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should also ensure that all those sentenced to death can exercise their right to equal access to justice through adequate legal representation, which is an essential component of due process at any stage in criminal proceedings, including the appeal and review process. Adequate and qualified legal representation at the review stage through effective legal aid programmes should be ensured.

Pursuant with commitments made during the special session on the world drug problem, and in order to fully implement the new amendments to the 1998 drug trafficking law, the Government should establish a clear and transparent procedure for reviewing the cases of individuals who have been sentenced to death under the previous drug trafficking law. Such a process should be transparent, accessible, and follow due process and fair trial guarantees, including effective representation of defendants.

The Special Rapporteur remains troubled by the continuing large number of executions, including of juvenile offenders, and reiterates her call on the Government to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to prohibit and refrain from the execution of juvenile offenders in all circumstances. The Special Rapporteur further urges the Government to undertake a special review of the cases of persons on death row for crimes committed when they were under the age of 18, with a view to commuting or quashing their death sentences altogether.

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.

The Special Rapporteur accordingly calls upon the Government to ensure prompt, thorough, and effective investigations by independent and impartial bodies of allegations of violations documented, and that those responsible are held accountable. The Government could further consider the use of modern technology to monitor detention centres to deter the torture and other ill-treatment of those detained, interrogated or imprisoned, whilst ensuring that such monitoring is conducted in line with international human rights standards.

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the continued engagement by the Government with her mandate through meetings and written exchanges. The Special Rapporteur further notes some developments including the adoption of amendments to drugtrafficking laws, and the follow-up on the Charter on Citizen's Rights. In particular, the Special Rapporteur noted the positive step taken to grant Baloch citizens with nationality cards and to afford access to education to children in the province. Such developments have taken place amidst ongoing severe reports of the denial of human rights in a number of fundamental areas. As such, small gains are lost in an overall atmosphere where the State denies even very basic rights to its population. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to demonstrate the political will to end the impunity of agents of the State who perpetrate violations of the human rights of individuals in the country

The Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government to fully respect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran and to ensure that all those who reside in the country have equal protection before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief.

The Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government to uphold the fundamental human rights of freedom of opinion and expression and to repeal all laws and policies which criminalize or restrict online expression, with online content to be restricted only by independent and impartial judicial decisions.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates the previous calls made by his predecessor and the Secretary-General that all those arrested for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly and of opinion and expression be released, including those arrested during the protests in December 2017 and January 2018. The Special Rapporteur further calls upon the Government to undertake an independent and transparent investigation into the reported deaths in custody and other incidents leading to alleged violations of rights that took place during and after the protests.

Pending abolition of the death penalty for child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, and other expert bodies called upon to conduct article 91 assessments: Afford the child offender the benefit of the doubt and deliver a finding of uncertainty when absolute certainty cannot be scientifically established, including if the assessment is not conducted immediately after the alleged offence. Establish and publish a methodology to conduct the assessment.

Pending abolition of the death penalty for child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, and other expert bodies called upon to conduct article 91 assessments: (a) Conduct assessments that provide a scientific, evidence-based assessment as to whether there is total certainty about the mental development of the child offender at the time of the offence in line with article 91 of the Penal Code. Ensure that such an assessment reflects the findings of assessments by experts from all relevant fields, including the relevant child development, psychology, psychiatry, and social service fields

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Provide the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur with a list of all child offenders on death row

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Ensure that detention pending trial is only used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time for children accused of any crime, including qisas and hudud crimes

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Ensure that the court takes into account the circumstances in which the child is living and the conditions in which any offence has allegedly been committed, including through the preparation, introduction and full consideration of pre-sentence reports. Ensure that the court is informed about all relevant facts about the child, such as social and family background, wealth, education and circumstances of marriage. Ensure that adequate social services capacity has been established to be able to provide such reports and is mandated to provide such advice

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Establish specialist and separate child courts to consider cases involving children, for all crimes including qisas and hudud crimes, in the first instance and on appeal, in all provinces. Ensure that the judges who preside over such courts, and the prosecutors who are able to bring cases before such courts, have a minimum level of professional qualifications and expert training in child sociology, child psychology and behavioural sciences;

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Require that all those who deal with children in the criminal justice system, especially judges, prosecutors, medical examiners, police interrogators and other law enforcement professionals, undergo specialist, ongoing and systematic training on the rights of the child. Such training should inform participants about how to take into account the child's physical, psychological, mental and social development in a manner consistent with the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under international human rights law;

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: When assessing the quality and veracity of testimony or confession offered by the child, ensure that the judge considers all circumstances of interrogation, especially the age of the child as well as the length of detention and interrogation and the presence of legal or other representatives and parents during questioning;

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Ensure that children who have been detained or arrested are interviewed only in the presence of their chosen lawyer, are immediately granted legal aid if needed, and are granted access to a family member of their choice at all times regardless of the offence they are accused of

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Undertake a prompt, effective and transparent review of all child offenders on death row and ensure that they are afforded legal representation and financial and other needed support to exercise their right to a retrial as provided for by article 91 of the Penal Code;

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Ensure that any article 91 assessment is conducted on the prima facie basis that there is uncertainty about the mental development of the child, and as such a death sentence cannot be imposed. Ensure that the burden of proof is always on the prosecution to establish complete certainty about the full mental development of the child, in line with article 91. Furthermore, ensure that the child is afforded the benefit of the doubt if the assessment is not undertaken immediately after the crime;

Pending implementation of the aforementioned recommendations, and without prejudice to the binding obligation enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to not sentence children to death and to not execute child offenders, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: (a) Require courts to comprehensively assess mental development in all cases in line with article 91 of the Penal Code, and to always seek expert advice from the relevant child development, psychology, psychiatry, and social service fields as well as from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, with a view to ensuring that the child is exempted from the death penalty;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: Pending legislative review, urgently issue a circular which requires all judges not to sentence children to death on the basis of qisas or hudud crimes, and which requires presiding judges to order retrials for all child offenders on death row without recourse to the death penalty.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the judiciary: (a) Urgently halt the planned execution of all child offenders, and commute the death sentences imposed on the basis of qisas and hudud crimes for all child offenders;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that Parliament: Amend the Penal Code to increase the age of criminal responsibility for qisas and hudud crimes to 18 years for all children, and ensure that all children are treated equally and without discrimination within the criminal justice system.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that Parliament: Withdraw the general reservation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child given that such a general reservation is not compatible with the object and purpose of the Convention;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that Parliament: Urgently amend legislation to prohibit the execution of persons who committed a hudud or qisas crime while below the age of 18 years and as such are children. Urgently amend the legislation to commute all existing sentences for child offenders on death row;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Take all measures necessary to mitigate some of the effects of economic sanctions, and to meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including on the protection of vulnerable groups. Establish a transparent financial mechanism to ensure that trade in medicines and other essential humanitarian items continues.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Implement the recommendations reflected in the opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and address patterns of violations highlighted by the Working Group with respect to dual and foreign nationals;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that all those arrested for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, assembly and association are released. Promptly report to the families the whereabouts and situation of individuals taken into custody;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Protect the rights of all persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities and address all forms of discrimination against them, and release all those imprisoned for having exercised their right to freedom of religion or belief;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that all prisoners with health conditions for whom staying in prison would mean an exacerbation of their condition are not detained in prison, and issue alternative sentences if there is no prospect of recovery through the full implementation of article 502 of the Code of Criminal Procedure;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that all persons accused of any crime are assured access to a lawyer of their choosing during all stages of the judicial process, including during the initial investigation and interrogation stage, and are provided with legal aid as needed;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that deaths in custody, and allegations of violations of due process and of ill-treatment are promptly, independently, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority with a view to bringing those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in compliance with their right to a fair trial;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that medical care is urgently provided to those individuals in detention who need it, including those identified in the present report, in light of the imminent threat to life or serious deterioration of their health. Ensure that all individuals in custody receive adequate, prompt and regular health care, including specialist care as needed, on the basis of their informed consent;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Amend the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure that confessions alone are not sufficient for admission of guilt;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that prisoners are protected from all forms of torture and other ill-treatment. Ensure that confessions obtained through such treatment are never admitted as evidence against the accused;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: (a) Pending abolishment, remove from the scope of the death penalty any offence other than the "most serious crimes‚" which are confined to intentional killing, and ensure that all those sentenced to death for other offences have their sentences commuted. Amend legislation to ensure that any person sentenced to death, including on the basis of qisas, can seek pardon or commutation from the State;

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government and Parliament: Ensure that human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, and lawyers and journalists are not threatened with or subjected to intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, deprivation of liberty or other arbitrary sanction, and release all those detained in connection with their work;

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the recent amendments to the Islamic Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code. She, however, regrets that the amendments have not yet translated into better protection from arbitrary arrest and detention, as shown by the number of cases highlighted in the present report. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to adopt all the measures necessary to effectively guarantee the right of anyone to be free from arbitrary deprivation of their liberty. In this respect, she echoes the recommendations made by the previous mandate holder on the necessity to amend the broadly defined criminal offences, to strengthen fair trial safeguards, to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment and to hold accountable those found guilty.

While noting as positive the willingness on the part of the Government to explore steps to reduce the number of executions in the country, the Special Rapporteur is, however, deeply concerned over the alarming level of executions, including of juveniles, in the country. She urges the Government to immediately and unconditionally prohibit the sentencing of children to death and to engage in a comprehensive process to commute all the death sentences that were handed down to personscurrently on death row in respect of crimes committed when the person was under the age of 18 years. The Special Rapporteur reiterates the calls made by the previous mandate holder to establish a moratorium on the death penalty and urges the Government to accelerate the process of amending its Anti-narcotic Law and to replace the death penalty for drug-related offences by penalties which comply with relevant international standards. The Government should also put an end to public executions.

The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to recognise that freedom of religion or belief entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, and that measures restricting eligibility for civil, political, social or economic privileges, or imposing special restrictions on the practice of other faiths, violate the prohibition of discrimination based on religion or belief and the guarantee of equal protection under article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to prohibit all forms of child marriage and develop awareness-raising campaigns and programmes on the harmful effects of this practice on the physical and mental health and well-being of girls, targeting households, local authorities, religious leaders, and judges and prosecutors, as recommended by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to ratify the Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women, to amend and repeal all laws which discriminate women and girls and to refrain from adopting laws and measures which would further undermine the empowerment of women and their participation into the labour force. She urges the Government to ensure women and girls' freedom of movement and guarantee their fundamental right to physical education, physical activity and sport. Laws and regulations that require women and girls to observe the Islamic dress code infringe their right to have, adopt and profess or not a religion or belief and do not take into account the various religious components of the Iranian society. These laws should be reviewed and the Government should respect the right of anyone to privacy and ensure that security forces refrain from acting as moral guardians of the citizens.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to take proactive steps to promote the full realization of the rights of human rights defenders and to refrain from any acts that violate the rights of human rights defenders because of their human rights work. The government should take strict measures to ensure that the security and intelligence apparatus does not use reprisals against families of those who monitor or campaign against human rights violations or express views that are contrary to government policies.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to guarantee the freedom of the press and media and to release all prisoners who have been jailed for exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression. These include the persons mentioned in paragraph 47 of the present report, who were the subject of opinions issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. All political prisoners and prisoners of conscience should be released so as to foster an atmosphere that inspires confidence and gives hope to the citizens that the human rights situation in the country may improve.

The Special Rapporteur recalls that freedom of opinion and freedom of expression are indispensable conditions for the full development of the person, are essential for any society and constitute the foundation stone for every free and democratic society. The Government has the responsibility to ensure that human rights defenders do not face prosecution for promoting and advancing human rights in the country.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to refrain from any interference with the judicial process and to uphold the integrity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, notably by ensuring that appointment of judges are transparent and based on merit and by protecting them, their families and professional associates against all forms of violence, threat, retaliation, intimidation and harassment as a result of discharging their functions. A self-regulating independent bar association or council should be urgently established to oversee the process of admitting candidates to the legal profession, provide for a uniform code of ethics and conduct, and enforce disciplinary measures, including disbarment.

The Special Rapporteur recalls that the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can never be limited or interfered with whatever circumstances and urges the Government to abolish any provision which authorize punishments such as flogging, blinding, amputation and stoning of individuals.

The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to amend laws that violate the rights of women or that undermine their equal and full enjoyment of civil,political, social and economic rights, including the rights to freedom of movementand work and the right to be free from discrimination, especially in the workplace. Draft legislation currently under consideration that appears to infringe on these rights and that may incite violence against women should be reconsidered as a means of addressing national and international concern. The Government should also reconsider laws that insist that women must seek permission to travel from their spouses, and he urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to protect children born within its jurisdiction by facilitating the ability of women to pass on their citizenship to their sons and daughters.

He reiterates his call on the Government to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, and further encourages it to continue its examination of laws and policies that effectually undermine or violate the right to life. This includes laws that apply the death penalty to acts not considered to be criminal offences, or crimes that do not warrant use of the death penalty under international law, such as drug-related crimes. He also appeals to the Government to abandon piecemeal reforms and to immediately and unconditionally prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under 18 years of age at the time they committed a capital offence.

Urges the government to facilitate ongoing requests for information, and enjoins Iran to consider a voluntary midterm review, which may contribute to its ability to uphold its international human rights obligations.

Renews his requests for further dialogue and for a visit to the country to both discuss the Iranian government's plan for implementing these UPR recommendations and for exploring constructive ways in which the mandate-holder and other special procedure representatives may support Iran's implementation efforts.

Urges the authorities to recognise that freedom of religion or belief entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, and that measures restricting eligibility for civil, political, social or economic privileges, or imposing special restrictions on the practice of other faiths, violate the prohibition of discrimination based on religion or belief and the guarantee of equal protection under article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He reiterates the concern of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders about the Government's "overly broad interpretations" of national security and propagation crimes against the State, and strongly urges authorities to release all individuals identified as arbitrarily detained by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other human rights mechanisms.

The widening crackdown on freedom of expression and opinion that reportedly took place during the reporting period is regrettable, and the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to consider amending or rescinding laws, policies and parliamentary measures that contravene freedom of expression and that restrict access to information, including the draft political crimes bill, which would criminalize attempts to reform the country's policies

Despite some positive amendments in 2013, the Islamic Penal Code continues to justify serious human rights violations perpetrated by government officials, including members of the judiciary. Many provisions in the penal code violate the country's international human rights obligations by criminalizing the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights or other acts that are not internationally recognized as crimes. The penal code also continues to discriminate against girls, women and religious minorities. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to consider additional reforms to the penal code in line with the country's international legal obligations.

The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to consider ending its satellite jamming, given its impact on the health of its citizens and on the right to access to information. He also calls for the enhancement of policies that govern gender confirmation surgeries for transgender individuals to ensure the protection of the right to health of those who may consider such procedures.

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the prosecution of Saeed Mortazavi for his role in facilitating illegal detentions, but notes that such investigations and rulings appear to be exceedingly rare, especially when compared with the high volume of similar reports of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of detainees emanating from the country. He calls on the authorities to prosecute and sentence appropriately all officials found responsible for the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, in line with Iranian and international law. He encourages the Government to address the substandard detention conditions identified previously by the human rights mechanisms and in the present and previous reports of the Special Rapporteuror that may have been identified by its own audit. He implores the Government to ensure adequate access to medical treatment in line with international standards.

The Special Rapporteur looks forward to observing the impact that amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure will have on improving access to legal counsel, and encourages the Government to guarantee this right for all accused, regardless of the allegations against them. He notes that the Government should further ensure that national laws support the independence of lawyers, in accordance with international norms and standards, and implores the Islamic Republic of Iran to release all lawyers that appear to have been imprisoned for protected activities in defence of their clients, such as raising awareness about fair trial concerns.

The Government should amend laws and policies, and reconsider draft legislation, that infringe on the right to freely associate and assemble with expressive groups or like-minded individuals and to promote peaceful ideals and activities. Non-governmental organizations, including unregistered associations, should be allowed to function freely, and their members should be able to operate in a safe environment. The Special Rapporteur echoes the recommendation made by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association that the establishment of associations should be facilitated by a notification procedure that is simple, easily accessible, non-discriminatory and non-onerous or free of charge. Furthermore, the right to peaceful assembly should not be subject to prior authorization by the authorities, but at the most to a prior notification procedure, which should not be burdensome, and the Government should recognize spontaneous assemblies as exempted from prior notification.

Authorities should immediately rescind the death sentences against all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including those of Soheil Arabi and others, whose alleged actions do not constitute a serious crime under international law. The Government should also note that international law and consensus define juvenile execution as the execution of individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time of the commission of the relevant crime, not at the time of implementation of the sentence. He reiterates his call on the Government to officially ban this practice and to align its practices with its obligations under international law. He repeats his call to enforce a complete moratorium on the death penalty in the meantime. These actions could drastically reduce executions for non-capital offences and better ensure protections for the right to life.

High priority should be placed on amending laws and policies that undermine or violate internationally recognized rights and standards, and that therefore diminish the Government's capacity to address concerns highlighted during the review and presented in the present and other reports produced by the human rights mechanisms. The Government should rescind laws that render as offences activities conducted to exercise legitimate rights under international law, including any laws that restrict the press, criminalize expression, limit access to information and give rise to the ongoing arrests of civil society actors and members of vulnerable groups, including religious and ethnic minorities, as well as laws that apply the death penalty to offences, such as drug-trafficking, that are not considered to be "most serious crimes" under international law. Moreover, the mandatory use of the death penalty is not compatible with the fair trial safeguards required under international law for the application of the death penalty and should be reconsidered.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates his firm belief that the Government could significantly improve the country's human rights situation by implementing recommendations made during both universal period review cycles and those made by the Secretary-General, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the treaty bodies and the special procedures. This includes reconsidering previously rejected recommendations to accede to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the two ILO conventions related to collective bargaining and the formation of unions.

He also encourages the Government to consider committing to a voluntary midterm review that may contribute to its ability to advance the pledges that it may undertake at the outcome of its second UPR in March 2015.

Calls on the Government to amend laws that violate the rights of women, or that undermine their full enjoyment of civil political, social, and economic rights, including the right work and to freedom from discrimination, especially in education and the workplace. Draft legislation currently under consideration that appears to infringe on these rights raises serious concern, and should be reconsidered.

He urges the authorities to recognize that freedom of religion or belief entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, and that measures restricting eligibility for civil, political, social or economic privileges, or imposing special restrictions on the practices or manifestations of the beliefs of other faiths violate the prohibition of discrimination based on religion or belief and the guarantee of equal protection under article 26 of the ICCPR.

He calls on the authorities to release all individuals identified by the WGAD as being arbitrarily detained, as well as other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

The Government should also expedite the removal of landmines and explosives that continue to pose a threat to the lives and security of populations located in their vicinity, enhance provisions for public education -- particularly for at risk children -- and ensure immediate and non-discriminatory access to adequate medical treatment and pension programs for victims and their families.

To prohibit capital punishment for juveniles and for crimes that do not meet the most serious crimes standards under international law, including for drug offences and perceived sexual offences.

To prevent the intimidation of lawyers, including threats of detention and prosecution for discharging their ethical and professional responsibilities, including when submitting client grievances and addressing international and national media on their client's behalf, which should be possible without fear of prosecution under national security and defamation laws.

To investigate all allegations of mistreatment and/or psychological and physical torture, and to prosecute the parties responsible.

To improve access of legal counsel to all files containing evidence against the accused.

To strengthen fair trial safeguards by ensuring access to legal counsel during all phases of pretrial detention and the investigative stage of cases, including during interrogation and arraignment, and allow for legal counsel to advise the accused during these proceedings.

To facilitate the unconditional release of individuals imprisoned for exercising peacefully their rights to expression, association, assembly, belief and religion.

Investigate all allegations of torture, address impunity and end the culture of investigation through confession as reflected by the breadth of reports communicated to the Special Rapporteur.

Consider the immediate release of prisoners of conscience such as Pastors Behnam Irani, Farshid Fathi, as well as the leaders of the Baha'i community, and fully honor its commitments under Article 18 of ICCPR that guarantee the right to freedom thought, conscience and religion, which was accepted by Iran without reservation.

Examine and address those laws that contravene its international obligation to eliminate all forms of discrimination in law and practice. These include those laws and policies that undermine gender equality and women's rights, and that discriminate against religious and ethnic minorities, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the country.

Expedite its voluntary commitment to establish a National Human Rights Commission, in accordance with Paris Principles.

Consider the immediate and unconditional release of civil society actors and human rights defenders prosecuted for protected activities; including journalists, netizens, lawyers and student, cultural, environmental, and political activists that work to promote civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights currently detained for activities protected by national and international law.

Desist from actions designed to injure or intimidate those who work to identify human rights violations, promote redress, and those that may cooperate with international human rights mechanisms.

Immediately investigate allegations of reprisals against individuals that cooperate with international human rights instruments and organizations and to take measures to "ensure adequate protection from intimidation or reprisals for individuals and members of groups who seek to cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights".

Extend its full cooperation to the country mandate-holder by engaging in a substantive and constructive dialogue and facilitating a visit the country.

The Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government to ratify the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and urges the Government to enact laws prohibiting the punishments of flogging and amputations, as they represent cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments and violate articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Special Rapporteur expresses his grave concern at the continuing execution of juvenile offenders in the Islamic Republic of Iran and calls upon the Government to immediately prohibit all executions of persons charged with offences that they committed when under the age of 18 years. He further recommends that the Government abolish the death penalty in all cases and, pending that measure, introduce a moratorium.

The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to recognize that dialogue and the inclusive participation of all the citizens in a diverse society can form the basis for enduring initiatives that address poverty and development, and can also serve to strengthen protections for the rights of all ethnic minorities in the country. She further encourages authorities to ensure that the rights of the members of the most vulnerable communities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are protected and respected.

The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to recognize that freedom of religion or belief entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, and that measures restricting eligibility for civil, political, social or economic privileges, or imposing special restrictions on the practice of other faiths, violate the prohibition of discrimination based on religion or belief and the guarantee of equal protection under article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to repeal all laws that discriminate against women and girls and to ensure that any bill still before Parliament that would further undermine the empowerment of women is dropped. She urges the Government to ensure the freedom of movement of women and girls and guarantee their right to physical education, physical activity and sport. Laws imposing dress codes on women should be reviewed, and the Government should respect the right of anyone to privacy and ensure that security forces refrain from acting as moral guardians of the citizens.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government should strenghten Bar associations and bar councils so that they are self-regulatory and function independently. That would enable them to regulate the profession without discrimination and to develop tools to protect its members from being persecuted for their independent professional decisions or views.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates her call on the Government to uphold the integrity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, notably by ensuring that appointments of judges are transparent and based on merit and by protecting them, their families and their professional associates against all forms of violence, threats, retaliation, intimidation and harassment as a result of discharging their functions.

She urges the Government to reform the judicial system with a view to ensuring its independence. Appropriate training for the members of the judiciary is also necessary to ensure that guarantees of a fair trial and due process are effectively respected.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government, in line with its international obligations, to immediately release all detainees who have been imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly and to quash the prison sentences that have been handed down against others for similar reasons. State entities that organize crackdowns on peaceful dissent should be identified and held accountable in order to prevent a recurrence of such violations. The Government should also take strict measures to ensure that the security and intelligence apparatus stops using reprisals against the families of those who monitor or campaign against human rights violations or express views that are contrary to government policies.

The Special Rapporteur therefore calls on the Government to ensure that a thorough and independent investigation into the killings in 1998 is carried out.