Impact Iran

The Committee requests the State party to submit in a timely manner its third periodic report, prepared in accordance with the revised reporting guidelines of the Committee, adopted in 2008 (E/C.12/2008/2), by 31 May 2018.

Effective measures should be adopted to ensure the strictest observance of articles 7 and 10 of the Covenant. All complaints of extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and ill-treatment should be duly investigated, the culprits should be punished and measures should be taken to prevent any recurrence of such acts. Severe forms of punishment incompatible with the Covenant should be removed from law and practice and the conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty should be improved. The Committee also recommends that training courses should be organized for members of the police, the armed forces and the security forces as well as for other law enforcement officials, so as to better acquaint them with basic human rights principles and norms.

The Committee recommends that active measures should be taken to enhance the status of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran in accordance with articles 2, 3 and 23 of the Covenant and to guarantee their equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms.

The Committee also wishes to invite the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to undertake necessary steps to ensure that the rights enunciated in articles 17, 19, 21, 22 and 25 can be exercised without any limitations or restrictions other than those provided for in the Covenant.

The Committee recommends that domestic laws should be revised with a view to curtailing the number of offences currently punishable by the death penalty and to reducing the number of executions. Public executions should be avoided and the accused should, in all cases, be provided with all necessary guarantees, including the right to a fair trial as provided for under article 14 of the Covenant.

The Committee recommends that Iranian legislation and practice be brought into line with the provisions of articles 9 and 14 of the Covenant, which provide that all persons should have the right to a fair trial, including the assistance of counsel, the right to be brought promptly before a judge and the right to be tried in public. Urgent consideration should also be given to the abolition of the Revolutionary courts.

The Committee recommends that its recently adopted General comment No.22 (48) be studied by the authorities to bring its legislation and practice into line with the requirements of article 18 of the Covenant. In that regard, the Committee wishes to emphasize that recognition of a religion as a State religion should not result in any impairment of the enjoyment of any of the rights under the Covenant, including articles 18 and 27, nor in any discrimination against adherents of other religions or non-believers, since the right to freedom of religion and belief and the prohibition of discrimination do not depend on the recognition as an official religion or belief.

The State party should take steps to increase the number of women in decision- making and judicial bodies at all levels and in all areas. It should also organize special training programmes for women and regular awareness campaigns in this regard.

The State party should amend the Civil Code and further amend the draft Family Protection Law, to (a) abolish the requirement for a father's or paternal grandfather's approval to legalize a marriage; (b) grant women equal rights to divorce; (c) award equal custody rights to the mother, including after a child reaches the age of seven or if she remarries; (d) award guardianship of a child to the mother in the case of the father's death; (e) grant women the same inheritance rights as men; (f) remove the legal obligation for a woman to be obedient to her husband; (g) remove the requirement for a husband's approval when a woman intends to leave the country; (h) prohibit polygamy; and (i) remove the power of a man to prohibit his wife from entering employment. The State party should also adopt legislation giving Iranian women the right to transmit their nationality to their children.

The State party should repeal or amend all legislation which provides for or could result in discrimination against, and prosecution and punishment of, people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It should ensure that anyone held solely on account of freely and mutually agreed sexual activities or sexual orientation should be released immediately and unconditionally. The State party should also take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to eliminate and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, including with respect to access to employment, housing, education and health care, and to ensure that individuals of different sexual orientation or gender identity are protected from violence and social exclusion within the community. The Committee reaffirms that all of these matters fall entirely within the purview of the rights contained in the Covenant, and therefore within the Committee's mandate. It urges the State party to include detailed information on the enjoyment of Covenant rights by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in its next periodic report.

The State party should adopt legislation criminalizing domestic violence and take steps to effectively combat domestic violence. It should ensure that victims have immediate access to means of redress and protection, including through the establishment of a sufficient number of safe houses for victims. The State party should ensure that acts of domestic violence are effectively investigated and that perpetrators are prosecuted and sanctioned. The State party should also ensure that a husband is not exempted from punishment for voluntary manslaughter, in the event that he murders his wife on suspicion of adultery.

The State party should consider abolishing the death penalty or at least revise the Penal Code to restrict the imposition of the death penalty to only the "most serious crimes", within the meaning of article 6, paragraph 2, of the Covenant and the Committee's general comment No. 6 (1982) on the right to life. It should ensure that, whenever it is imposed, the requirements of articles 6 and 14 of the Covenant are fully met. It should also ensure that everyone sentenced to death, after exhaustion of all legal avenues of appeal, has an effective opportunity to exercise the right to seek pardon or commutation of sentence from the relevant authorities. The State party should furthermore prohibit the use of public executions, as well as stoning as a method of execution.

The State party should immediately end the execution of minors, and further amend the draft juvenile crimes investigation act and the Bill of Islamic Criminal Code with the aim of abolishing the death penalty for crimes committed under the age of 18. The State party should also commute all existing death sentences for offenders on death row who had committed a crime while under the age of 18.

The State party should ensure that an inquiry is opened in each case of alleged torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in detention facilities, and that the perpetrators of such acts are prosecuted and punished appropriately. It should ensure that effective reparation, including adequate compensation, is granted to every victim. The State party should also ensure that no one is coerced into testifying against themselves or others or to confess guilt and that no such "confession" is accepted as evidence in court, except against a person accused of torture or other ill-treatment as evidence that the "confession" or other statement was made.

The State party should urgently establish a full, impartial and independent investigation into allegations of killings, torture and other ill-treatment during and following the 12 June 2009 presidential elections, and prosecute those officials found responsible.

The State party should amend the Penal Code to abolish the imposition of corporal punishment by judicial and administrative authorities. The State party should also explicitly prohibit all forms of corporal punishment in child-rearing and education, including by repealing the legal defences for its use in article 1179 of the Civil Code, articles 49 and 59 of the Penal Code and article 7 of the Law on the Protection of Children.

The State party should ensure that arrest warrants contain the names of the accused and are based on a judge's review of material evidence. It should also release detainees who have been held on the basis of general and blanket arrest warrants, in the absence of evidence.

The State party should take all necessary measures to ensure that pretrial detention is not excessively long in law and in practice, particularly through independent judicial supervision and prompt access to lawyers, in full compliance with article 9 of the Covenant. The State party should also take immediate steps to eliminate incommunicado detention, taking due care to ensure compliance in practice.

The State party should take immediate steps to establish a system of regular and genuinely independent monitoring of places of detention, and ensure that conditions of detention conform to articles 7 and 10 of the Covenant, and to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners. It should also systematically include human rights training as a standard component of curricula, covering the topics of the prohibition of torture, effective interrogation techniques, conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees, in the training of law enforcement, prison and judicial officials.

The State party should take steps to combat and prevent the trafficking and sale of persons under 18 years of age. The State party is also requested to provide the Committee in its next periodic report with statistics, on an annual basis, on the number of arrests and convictions under the 2004 law to combat trafficking.

The State party should ensure that all legal proceedings are conducted in full accordance with article 14 of the Covenant, including guaranteeing (a) the right to legal assistance of one's own choosing, including for pretrial detainees; (b) the right to be informed promptly of the nature and cause of the criminal charges; (c) the intervention and presence of lawyers in all cases, including during the investigation stage; (d) the presumption of innocence; (e) the right to a public hearing; and (f) the right to appeal a ruling. The State party should remove the mahdoor-ol-dam (deserving of death) definition, applied to victims, so as to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice for their crimes. The Committee reminds the State party of its general comment No. 32 (2007) on the right to equality before courts and tribunals and to a fair trial.

The State party should take immediate steps to ensure and protect the full independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and guarantee that it is free to operate without pressure and interference from the executive power and clergy. The State party should also ensure that judges, in interpreting legislation and in relying on religious principles, do not reach verdicts that are in contravention of the rights and principles as laid down in the Covenant.

The State party should take steps to ensure full respect for the right to freedom of religion or belief, including ensuring that legislation and practices fully conform to article 18 of the Covenant. This also entails that the right of everyone to change his or her religion, if he or she so chooses, is unconditionally and fully guaranteed. The Committee also urges the State party to revoke article 225 of the draft Penal Code. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 22 (1993) on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

The State party should ensure full respect for the freedom of everyone, including members of the Baha'i community, to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his or her choice, and the freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest this religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching. The State party should take immediate steps to ensure that members of the Baha'i community are protected against discrimination in every field, that violations of their rights are immediately investigated, that those found responsible are prosecuted and that they are provided with effective remedies.

The State party should guarantee the freedom to manifest a religion or belief and that it can be exercised either individually or in community with others and in public or private. The Committee reminds the State party that this right also entails the building of places of worship.

The State party should ensure that the right to freedom of assembly and association is guaranteed to all individuals without discrimination, and release immediately and unconditionally anyone held solely for the peaceful exercise of this right, including students, teachers, human rights defenders (including women's rights activists), lawyers and trade unionists. The State party should also ensure the prompt, effective and impartial investigation of threats, harassment, and assault on members of these groups, and, when appropriate, prosecute the perpetrators of such acts. The State party should also withdraw its draft Bill on the Establishment and Supervision of Non-Governmental Organisations, which would establish a Supreme Committee Supervising Non-Governmental Organisations' Activities, chaired by the Interior Ministry, including representatives from the Intelligence Ministry, the police, the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The State party should fully guarantee the right to freedom of expression and opinion of independent media, and ensure that journalists can exercise their profession without fear of being brought before courts. The State party should release, rehabilitate and provide effective judicial redress and compensation for journalists imprisoned in contravention of articles 9 and 19 of the Covenant. The State party should also ensure that the monitoring of Internet use does not violate the rights to freedom of expression and privacy as defined in the Covenant. The Committee reminds the State party of its general comment No. 34 (2011) on article 19.

The State party should eliminate discrimination on the basis of sex with regard to the minimum age for marriage. It should also ensure that the minimum age complies with international standards and should adopt active measures preventing forced, early and temporary marriage of girls.

The State party should introduce legislative amendments to ensure that articles 3 and 28, sections 1 and 3, of the Majlis Elections Act are in conformity with the rights guaranteed in article 25 of the Covenant. It should also take adequate steps to guarantee that elections are conducted in a free and transparent manner, in full conformity with the Covenant, including through the establishment of an independent electoral monitoring commission.

The State party should ensure that all members of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities enjoy effective protection against discrimination and are able to enjoy their own culture and use their own language in media and schools, participate in public affairs and are provided with effective remedies against discrimination.

The State party should widely disseminate the Covenant, the text of the third periodic report, the written responses it has provided in response to the list of issues drawn up by the Committee, and the present concluding observations so as to increase awareness among the judicial, legislative and administrative authorities, civil society and non-governmental organizations operating in the country, as well as the general public. The Committee also suggests that the report and the concluding observations be translated into the official language of the State party. The Committee further requests the State party, when preparing its fourth periodic report, to broadly consult with civil society and non- governmental organizations.

In accordance with rule 71, paragraph 5, of the Committee's rules of procedure, the State party should provide, within one year, relevant information on its implementation of the Committee's recommendations made in paragraphs 9, 12, 13 and 22 above.

The Committee requests the State party, in its next periodic report, due to be submitted on 2 November 2014, to provide specific, up-to-date information on all its recommendations and on the Covenant as a whole.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take the necessary measures to guarantee the existence of an environment in which all human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work without risk to their physical and psychological integrity or to any form of restriction, harassment, intimidation or fear of persecution, in accordance with the fundamental principles endorsed in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. On the subject of defenders working to promote women's rights, she encourages the Government to pay particular attention to the recommendations given in her report to the Human Rights Council in 2011 (A/HRC/16/44, para.109-112).

The Special Rapporteur further expresses concern about reports she has received of illegitimate restrictions imposed on the right of human rights defenders to freedom of opinion and expression. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take the necessary measures to guarantee the existence of an environment in which all human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work without risk to their physical and psychological integrity or any other form of restriction, harassment, intimidation or fear of persecution, in accordance with the fundamental principles endorsed in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government of Iran to take immediate steps to ensure that human rights defenders are able to carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment without fear of detention, harassment and prosecution. She remains available to provide any guidance or assistance that the Government might require in this regard.

The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to provide information on the remaining three detainees, as well as those included in other communications during the present reporting period, as soon as possible as grave concern is expressed about their state of health and limited access to medical treatment.

The Special Rapporteur strongly urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to fully cooperate with the mandates of the Special Rapporteur in the future, particularly due to the serious allegations addressed, and to provide information on the communications sent.

Due to the severity of the cases, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to respond to the communications sent, as grave concern is expressed about the state of health of Ms. Daemi and Mr. Mirdamadi and their limited access to medical treatment.

The Special Rapporteur appeals to the Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that all human rights defenders are subject to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed at the numerous reports of human rights defenders who were deprived of due process and denied their rights to legal counsel. He is concerned with thelegal persecution of individualsfor exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association

The Special Rapporteur notes that numerous communications sent during this reporting period relate to imprisoned human rights defenders who are serving long sentences for their peaceful activities in defence of human rights. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges receipt of the substantive response from the Government to the communication dated19 April 2016 regarding the alleged arbitrary detention and charges issued against human rights defender and journalist, Ms. Narges Mohammadi. The Special Rapporteur further acknowledges the two detailed responses received to the communication dated 22 July 2016 regarding the alleged arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as denial of adaquate medical services to Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani, Mr. Arash Sadeghi,and Ms. Narges Mohammadi. The Special Rapporteur appreciates the information received by the Government that the prison charges the human rights defenders are facing have been reduced through implementation of article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code and selective pardons. The sentences of Mr. Soltani were commuted from 18 years imprisonment to ten years imprisonment, while those of Ms. Mohammadi were reduced from 16 years to ten years and finally Mr. Sadeghi's sentences were commuted from an alleged 19 years sentence (including the application of a suspended sentence from a previous case) to seven and a half years. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges that the Government refutes the allegations, nevertheless, he remains seriously concerned that the charges seem to be directly related to their legitimate work as human rights defenders and lawyers, as well as the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of association. As such, he urges the Government to take all necessary action to release the imprisoned defenders.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates his appeal to the Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that human rights defenders are subject to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal

The Special Rapporteur urges the Iranian Government to immediately drop all charges against Ms. Rahemipour and to halt any acts of retaliation against relatives, witnesses and human rights defenders who report cases of enforced disappearances, pursuant to article 13 (3) and (5) of the Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance adopted by General Assemble resolution 47/133.

It should be recalled that the Article 90 Parliamentary Commission highlighted, in receiving the Working Group, "the injustices and inconsistencies resulting from the proliferation of judicial decision-making bodies". The revolutionary tribunals, one such group of bodies, as well as the religious courts, should be abolished.

On the practice of "solitary confinement". As this practice generates arbitrary situations, plans should be drawn up for the closure of these prisons, retaining only a few punishment cells in each institution for short disciplinary periods of solitary confinement. In addition, the report of the Article 90 Parliamentary Commission on prisons should be made public or at least debated in Parliament. The Commission would then be responsible for publishing a list of prisons each year.

On the situation of prisoners of conscience: These prisoners are punished twice over. Many of them have, on the one hand, simply peacefully exercised their fundamental right to freedom of opinion and expression and, on the other, have been unable to benefit in most cases from the guarantees which are essential to the right to fair trial, as we have emphasized with regard in particular to the abolition of the prosecution service. Solutions must be sought to bring about their release in the near term.

On imprisonment for debt, the Working Group has noted that destitute individuals, in particular women without resources, are kept in prison for a period which can extend, according to information gathered in situ, for up to five years for non-payment of a fine or diyah. The Working Group recommends that the Government should accelerate the ongoing reform of alternatives to imprisonment to avoid destitute individuals being subjected to lengthy imprisonment in connection with their insolvency.

On the right to due proccess: The immunity of counsel in pleading cases must be reaffirmed and expressly guaranteed in a legislative instrument formulated in cooperation with representatives of the Bar;

Implement the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women

Ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women without reservations as soon as possible, and bring national laws into conformity with the Convention

Ensure full respect for all human rights, as guaranteed in international human rights treaties ratified by Iran, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which, inter alia, guarantee the right to non-discrimination based on sex

Ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and protect women victims of trafficking, ensure accountability of the traffickers and provide compensation to the victims;

Fully implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/15/Add.254) and of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, contained in the report on his mission to Iran (E/CN.4/2006/41/Add.2);

Implement the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in order to ensure that women human rights defenders are able to carry out their work with full autonomy and without being subjected to retaliation by the State or other actors.

Prevent early and forced marriages

Remove obstacles to women's rights with regard to child custody, divorce, inheritance and freedom of movement

Raise the age of majority for girls and boys to 18 in conformity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child;

Eliminate all obstruction to justice on the grounds of sex, class and religion emanating from the practice of diyah;

Prohibit by law cruel corporal punishments such as stoning and flogging;

Ensure that the right to a fair trial is fully respected and that all women detainees are brought to trial, with access to a lawyer and legal aid where necessary, without undue delay;

Ensure that punishments do not discriminate against women, that they are proportionate to the offence, and that they are determined by a court of law in accordance with the principles of equality and non-discrimination;

Institute proper investigation procedures for rape cases and ensure that rape victims are not subject to prosecution under adultery provisions where they are unable to prove rape;

Abolish requirements that women present eyewitnesses in order to prove that they have been subjected to violence and allow women to prove violence through medical or police reports and other credible evidence;

Establish procedures whereby custody rights are determined by a judicial process in accordance with the principle of the best interests of the child;

Review all cases of women currently being detained for crimes related to sexual and moral conduct who did not have a fair trial or enjoy guarantees of due process with a view to retrying the case or releasing the accused woman.

Provide effective protection to women who have experienced violence by ensuring that they are able to approach the police, to secure alternative housing and to access medical care;

Establish and support more shelters for women who have been subjected to violence and to ensure that women are able to access information about these shelters through the police, judicial personnel and medical staff as well as women's non-governmental organizations;

Conduct research on violence against women and to collect data concerning its prevalence;

Conduct a full investigation into suicides of young women and their relationship to diverse forms of violence against women, to design preventive and protective measures to address these suicides, and to prevent the development of prejudice in public opinion that would revictimize survivors of suicide attempts and/or their families;

Ensure that all institutions and individuals engaged in law enforcement activities are accountable to the Government and that they respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms as laid out in international human rights instruments;

Vigorously enforce the prohibition on torture, to investigate fully and publicly all allegations of torture, including the case of Zahra Kazemi, to hold perpetrators accountable and to ensure that victims of torture receive compensation and rehabilitation;

Investigate publicly all allegations of arbitrary detention and to ensure that victims of arbitrary detention receive compensation;

Strengthen the capacity of the Centre for Women's Participation (financially and politically) to develop policies and projects to address violence against women, to support research on the causes and consequences of violence against women, including suicides, and to effectively undertake its important advisory role in directing State policy and action concerning violence against women.

Promote women's participation in the formal labour market by ensuring equality of opportunity and eliminating discriminatory laws and practices related to women's work;

Institute special measures to increase women's political participation and appoint more women to high-level government positions;

Provide special programmes for women from minority groups who suffer multiple forms of discrimination;

Ensure that women have equal rights to enter into marriage and during the marriage relationship, as well as at its dissolution;

Ensure that women enjoy full freedom and rights to become equal partners in decision-making in the home, at work and in society at large;

Support research on the linkages between discrimination and violence against women and family and societal well-being;

Listen to the voices of women.

The Committee further recommends that the second periodic report of Iran should contain information not only on legislative measures adopted, but also on the application of these measures, on the difficulties encountered in the process of their implementation, and on the issues dealt with in the present concluding observations.

The Committee recommends that the State party should spell out a clear legislative, judicial and administrative basis for giving fullest possible effect to the provisions of the Covenant "with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Covenant by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures." (art. 2 (1) of the Covenant).The Committee invites the Government of Iran to undertake necessary steps, both legislative and practical, in order to ensure that the rights enunciated in the Covenant are able to be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, especially in the case of ethnic or religious minorities. The Committee notes that the obligation to ensure equal opportunity for women warrants particular attention, especially in relation to the right to work, family related rights and the right to education.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that all the obligations of the Covenant are fully respected under all circumstances and that Constitutional provisions, in particular articles 4 and 20, are applied in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Covenant.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to establish an independent national human rights institution with a broad human rights mandate, including for economic, social and cultural rights, in line with the Paris Principles, and provide it with adequate human and financial resources.

The Committee urges that the State party take steps to ensure that people with beliefs other than the religions recognized by the State party can fully enjoy all aspects of economic, social and cultural rights, without any discrimination.

The Committee recommends that the State party repeal or amend all legislation that results or could result in discrimination, prosecution and punishment of people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to combat and prevent discrimination and societal stigma against members of the LGBT, and ensure their enjoyment of all the rights enshrined in the Covenant, including unhindered access to employment, social services, health care and education, in line with article 2, paragraph 2, of the Covenant and the Committee's general comment No. 20 (2009) on non-discrimination in economic, social and cultural rights.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that members of the Baha'i community are protected against discrimination and exclusion in every field, including denial of employment and benefits of the pension system. The Committee also recommends that the State party take steps to guarantee, in law and practice, the unhindered access of Baha'i students to universities and vocational training institutions, and to prevent refusals of access and expulsions of students from such institutions based on their belonging to the Baha'i community.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to lift all restrictions on access to university education, including bans on female and male enrolment, limited quotas for women in certain fields, and gender segregation in classrooms and facilities.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to address the declining participation of women in the labour force. The Committee recommends that the State party amend the Civil Code and the Family Protection Law with the aim toremove the power of a spouse to prohibit the other spouse from entering employment.The Committee also recommends that the State party take steps to increase the number of women in decision-making and judicial bodies at all levels and in all areas.

The Committee recommends that the State party increase its efforts to combat unemployment through specifically targeted measures, in particular, aimed at women and youth, including by addressing mismatches between education and labour markets through increases in the quality of technical and vocational training and education. The Committee also urges the State party to adopt temporary special measures to address the very high unemployment rates in areas with ethnic minorities, and to include information in its next State party report on the progress achieved.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure full compliance of the gozinesh process with the standards under the Covenant, and thus ensure that employment is not made conditional upon political opinion, previous political affiliation or support, or religious affiliation.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to extend the application of its labour law to all workers, including to those working in places with fewer than five workers and those working in export processing zones.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that the national minimum wage is set at a level sufficient to provide all workers and their families with a decent standard of living, and strengthen its efforts towards the progressive increase of the minimum wage in accordance with article 7 (a) (ii) of the Covenant. The Committeealso recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that Afghan workers are not paid a wage below the level of the minimum wage.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that independent trade unions can be formed and carry out their activities without interference, including unions of teachers, bus workers and sugar-cane workers, as well as the Iran Free Workers' Union. It recommends that the State party ensure that workers can participate in strikes without facing reprisals The Committee also calls upon the State party to immediately release labour rights activists and members of independent trade unions currently serving prison sentences who acted in conformity with internationally recognized trade union standards.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure universal access to health insurance, providing for coverage for a minimum essential level of benefits to all individuals and families,including access to health facilities, goods and services on a non-discriminatory basis; provision of essential drugs; access to reproductive, maternal (prenatal as well as post-natal) and child health care; and immunization against the major infectious diseases occurring in the community.

The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent legislative steps to specifically criminalize domestic violence, including marital rape. It also recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that victims of domestic violence have access to effective means of redress and immediate protection, including through a sufficient number of safe houses.

The Committee calls on the State party to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls, and to ensure that marriage can be entered into only with the free consent of the intending spouses.

The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent and effective steps to address the very high number of children living and/or working in the street, address the root causes of the phenomenon, and provide all street children with access to health services and education.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to strengthen its national legislation prohibiting child labour in accordance with international standards, in all sectors, including in agriculture, domestic service, and clay/brickmaking. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that the implementation of legislation pertaining to child labour is effectively monitored and enforced, including through labour inspections in agriculture and the informal sector, ensuring that employers exploiting child labour are held accountable and that victims of child labour are rehabilitated and are ensured access to education. The Committee recommends that the State party undertake awareness-raising campaigns with a view to eradicating child labour.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary steps to further reduce poverty and extreme poverty, in particular in provinces populated by ethnic minorities, such as Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Kordestan. The Committee requests the State party to include in its next periodic report disaggregated and comparative data, by year and province, on the number of men and women living in poverty and extreme poverty.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that ownership of houses and land, in particular in rural areas, is formally registered, and that the State party actively raise awareness among affected groups of the population, including through the dissemination of knowledge, on relevant legal provisions and registry procedures. It recommends that the State party take steps to prevent arbitrary interpretations of article 49 of the Constitution, and to ensure that persons affected by such confiscations have access to an adequate remedy, restitution of their property, and compensation, as appropriate, including in line with the Committee's general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions. The Committee also requests the State party to include in its next periodic report information on the extent and the root causes of homelessness in the State party. The Committee draws the State party's attention to its general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing.

The Committee recommends that the State party take immediate steps, inter alia by increasing budgetary allocations, to improve housing and living conditions in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities, including access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, electricity, transportation facilities, schools and health-care centres.

The Committee urges the State party to refrain from forcibly evicting individuals and expropriating land in the context of development projects, including in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities. It recalls that in cases where eviction or relocation is considered to be justified, it should be carried out in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of international human rights law.

The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to increase the allocation of public funds to improve the health situation of inhabitants of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan,in particular focusing on the health infrastructure and the provision of adequate water and sanitation.

The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to counter the impact of river diversions and industrial activity in Khuzestan, including environmental pollution and water shortages, on agriculture and human health.

The Committee recommends that the State party address the high drop-out rate of girls in rural areas and of Ahwazi Arab children. The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to address the high illiteracy rates among Ahwazi Arabs and Azeris. It also recommends that the State party take steps to improve the quality of instruction in and physical infrastructure of schools in rural areas, and to increase the number of female teachers in rural areas.

The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to ensure that all children receive birth certificates and that the lack of such a document is not an impediment for school enrolment of a child. It recommends that the State party take measures to ensure that refugee children have access to education, regardless of whether their parents have registered with the authorities, and that primary education, including enrolment thereto, is offered free of charge. The Committee also recommends that the State party intensify its measures to guarantee an inclusive education for children with disabilities, including through the Organization for Special Children and the Seven-Point Guideline for Universal and Consolidated Education for Children and Students with Special Needs, and to ensure that all children of nomadic communities have access to primary education, including through the establishment of mobile schools.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that ethnic minorities have the opportunity to receive education in their mother tongue, in addition to Farsi.

The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure the full and unrestricted enjoyment by ethnic minorities, including Kurds, Arabs, Azeris and Baluch, to their right to take part in cultural life, including through the protection of publications and newspapers in minority languages from imposed closure. The Committee also recommends that the State party take measures to protect cultural diversity, promote awareness of the cultural heritage of national and ethnic minorities, and ensure favourable conditions for members of those minorities to preserve, develop, express and disseminate their identity, history, culture, language, traditions and customs in line with the Committee's general comment No. 21 (2009) on the right of everyone to take part in cultural life.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive anti- discrimination bill in compliance with article 2, paragraph 2, of the Covenant and taking into account the Committee's general comment No. 20 (2009) on non-discrimination in economic, social and cultural rights.

The Committee encourages the State party to consider signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Committee encourages the State party to sign and ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Conventionagainst Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and withdraw its reservation to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Committee requests the State party to disseminate the present concluding observations widely among all levels of society, in particular among State officials, the judiciary and civil society organizations, translate and publicize them as far as possible and inform the Committee of the steps taken to implement them in its next periodic report.

The Committee encourages the State party to engage all the relevant actors, including non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society, in the process of discussion of the present concluding observations at the national level and facilitate their participation prior to the submission of its next periodic report.

The Committee requests the State party to submit in a timely manner its third periodic report, prepared in accordance with the revised reporting guidelines of the Committee, adopted in 2008 (E/C.12/2008/2), by 31 May 2018.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to address its previous recommendations of 28 January 2005 (CRC/C/15/Add.254), which have not been sufficiently implemented, in particular those relating to non- discrimination, the right to life, protection from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and juvenile justice, among others contained therein.

The Committee, in line with its previous recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.254, para. 7) and in the light of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 1993, urges the State party to review the general nature of its reservation and encourages the State party to withdraw it in a clear timeframe. The Committee recommends that the State party bring its domestic laws and regulations into compliance with the Convention and ensure that the provisions of the Convention prevail whenever there is a conflict with the domestic law.

The Committee urges the State party to urgently repeal its laws and policies that are discriminatory against girls and religious and ethnic minorities and ensure that all children, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity or religious beliefs, enjoy equal rights and freedoms as guaranteed under the Convention. In particular, the Committee urges the State party to ensure that the State party's legislation does not leave the interpretation and implementation of its legislation to the wide discretion of the judiciary without providing them with the necessary training and interpretative guidelines.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to ensure that the State party's policies, strategies and plans of action address in particular the rights of children in disadvantaged and marginalized situations, are aimed at providing them with equal opportunities in all areas of life and at improving their situation, and are supported with sufficient human, technical and financial resources.

The Committee recommends that the State party provide the National Body on the Convention on the Rights of the Child with a clear mandate and sufficient authority to coordinate all activities related to the implementation of the Convention at cross-sectoral, national, regional and local levels, that it strengthen its capacity and that it ensure that its relevant working groups are provided with the necessary human, technical and financial resources.

In the light of its general comment No. 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation, the Committee urges the State party to strengthen its data collection system. The data should cover all areas of the Convention and should be disaggregated by age, sex, disability, geographic location, ethnic origin and socioeconomic background, in order to facilitate analysis on the situation of all children, particularly vulnerable children. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the data and indicators be shared among the ministries concerned and be used for the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects for effective implementation of the Convention. In this context, the Committee also recommends that the State party provide the necessary human and financial resources to support the new database and that it strengthen its technical cooperation with, among others, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In the light of its general comment No. 2 (2002) on the role of independent national human rights institutions, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to expeditiously establish, in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), an independent mechanism for monitoring human rights, including a specific mechanism for monitoring children's rights that is able to receive, investigate and address complaints by children in a child-sensitive manner, ensure the privacy and protection of victims, and undertake monitoring, follow-up and verification activities for victims.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all possible measures to raise the awareness of its public, including children, about the provisions of the Convention through awareness-raising programmes, such as campaigns, and that it ensure that the Convention is part of the mandatory curriculum in all schools for children of all age groups. The Committee also recommends that the State party continue to provide regular and systematic training activities on the provisions of the Convention for law enforcement officials, the judiciary and other professionals working with and for children throughout the country.

The Committee urges the State party to put an end to repression against non- governmental organizations working in the area of children's rights and to hold those responsible for harassment and persecution of human rights activists accountable.

The Committee urges the State party to revise, as a matter of urgency and priority, its legislation in order to ensure that all persons below the age of 18 years, without exceptions, are considered as children and are provided with all the rights under the Convention. The Committee also urges the State party to further increase the minimum age for marriage for both girls and boys to 18 years, and to take all necessary measures to eliminate child marriages in line with the State party's obligations under the Convention.

The Committee urges the State party to revise its legislation in order to ensure that girls enjoy the same rights and entitlements as boys in all aspects of life, especially in family relations, the criminal and civil justice system and property rights, and to take measures to eliminate any forms of discrimination in practice.

The Committee recommends that the State party take effective measures, including accountability, to put an end to discrimination against religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities, children born out of wedlock and asylum-seeking and refugee children, and that it ensure that those responsible for any forms of discrimination against such groups are held accountable. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party decriminalize same-sex relations and take measures to eliminate discrimination against LGBTI children.

In the light of its general comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration, the Committee recommends that the State party revise its Civil Law accordingly and strengthen its efforts to ensure that this right is appropriately integrated and consistently interpreted and is applied in all legislative, administrative and judicial proceedings and decisions as well as in all policies, programmes and projects that are relevant to, and have an impact on, children. In this regard, the State party is encouraged to develop procedures and criteria to provide guidance to all relevant persons in authority for determining the best interests of the child in every area and for giving this due weight as a primary consideration.

The Committee strongly urges the State party to repeal article 301 of the Islamic Penal Code, and ensure that all perpetrators of murders committed in the name of so-called "honour" receive penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes. The Committee urges the State party to carry out prompt and thorough investigations into all these cases, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that those found guilty are given appropriate sentences.

The Committee urges the State party to clear its entire territory from landmines and all remnants of the war as soon as possible, with the support of international organizations.

In the light of its general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, the Committee recommends that the State party adopt and implement legislation recognizing the right of the child to be heard in all relevant legal proceedings by establishing systems and/or procedures for social workers and courts to comply with the principle. It also recommends that the State party conduct programmes and awareness-raising activities to promote the meaningful and effective participation of all children within the family, the community and schools, including within student council bodies, with particular attention to girls and to children in vulnerable situations.

The Committee urges the State party to take measures to ensure the birth registration of all children, regardless of their parents' legal status and/or origin. The Committee urges the State party, in doing so, to ensure that children of registered refugees and unregistered foreigners are provided with birth certificates without any conditions.

The Committee strongly urges the State party to review the provisions of the Act on Determination of the Nationality of Children Born into Marriages of Iranian Women with Men of Foreign Nationality amending the Civil Code, and to ensure that all children who are born to Iranian mothers, including children born out of wedlock, are entitled to Iranian citizenship on the same conditions as children born to Iranian fathers. The Committee also recommends that the State party provide information on the number of children born to Iranian mothers who have been naturalized, in its next periodic report.

The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures to ensure full respect for the right of children to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and that those rights not be subjected to undue and vague limitations but that restrictions to those rights comply with international standards. The Committee urges the State party to review its legislation in order to ensure that children under the age of 18 years are exempt from criminal responsibility for such content-based offences.

The Committee urges the State party to take measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and to ensure that members of religious minority groups, in particular persons of the Baha'i faith, are not persecuted, imprisoned or ill-treated on the account of their religion. The Committee also recommends that the State party review its hijab laws and regulations and ensure that the right of girls to wear or not to wear the hijab is fully respected.

The Committee recommends that the State party review its laws and policies in order to provide children with age-appropriate information and that it take measures to ensure a reasonable balance between the threat to national security and freedom of expression.

In light of its general comment No. 13 (2011) on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence, and taking note of Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children, the Committee strongly urges the State party to immediately repeal all provisions which authorize or condone cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of children. It also recommends that the State party put an end to public executions, which have an irreversible negative effect on the mental health of children who witness them, by implementing the above-mentioned decree. Furthermore, the Committee urges the State party to ensure that LGBTI children are not subjected to cruel and degrading treatment such as electric shocks and the administration of hormones and strong psychoactive medications, and that those responsible for these acts are held accountable.

In the light of its general comment No. 8 (2006) on the right of the child to protection from corporal punishment and other cruel or degrading forms of punishment, the Committee urges the State party to review its legislation with a view to prohibiting all forms of corporal punishment irrespective of its purpose, including by parents, guardians and teachers, and instead to promote positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child-rearing and discipline.

The Committee urges the State party to repeal all legal provisions that authorize, condone or lead to child sexual abuse and to ensure that perpetrators of child sexual abuse are brought to justice. The State party should also increase the legal age of consent to sexual relations to 16 years. The Committee also urges the State party to increase the legal age of marriage to 18 years and to criminalize marital rape. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party develop programmes and policies for the prevention, recovery and social reintegration of child victims, including child brides, in accordance with the documents adopted at the World Congresses against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.

With reference to paragraph 27 of the present document, the Committee urges the State party to revise its Civil Code and all other relevant legislation to ensure equal rights of girls in family relations and provide girls with the right to inheritance on equal terms with boys. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party consider ratifying the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, the Hague Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations, and the Hague Convention of 19 October 1996 on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children.

The Committee urges the State party to revise the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents with No Guardian or Abusive Guardians of 2012 in a way that prohibits any marriage or other sexual arrangements with an adopted child. It also recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure the right of all children, especially children belonging to ethnic minorities, to grow up in a family environment. The Committee recommends that the State party take into account the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, which are annexed to General Assembly resolution 64/142.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to provide adequate living conditions in prisons for all mothers with children and that it ensure that prison has the most limited effect possible on children's mental and physical development.

The Committee draws the State party's attention to its general comment No. 15 (2013) on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to prevent early pregnancies by prohibiting child marriages and providing access to contraceptives and to safe abortion, and to post-abortion care services, throughout the country. It also recommends that the State party decriminalize abortions in all circumstances and ensure that the views of the pregnant girl are always heard and respected in abortion decisions. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to increase the allocation of public funds to improve the health situation of inhabitants of remote areas, focusing in particular on the health infrastructure. In doing so, the State party should seek financial and technical assistance from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, among others.

In the light of its general comment No. 4 (2003) on adolescent health and development, the Committee recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents throughout the country and ensure that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum and is targeted at adolescent girls and boys, with special attention to preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. It also urges the State party to take measures to provide LGBTI children with access to information on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to counter the impact of river diversions and industrial activity in Khuzestan on agriculture and human health, which includes environmental pollution and water shortages.

The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to further reduce poverty and extreme poverty, in particular in provinces populated by ethnic minorities, such as Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Kurdistan. The Committee recommends that the State party take immediate steps, inter alia by increasing budgetary allocations, to improve housing and living conditions in regions with ethnic minorities, including the provision of access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, electricity, transportation facilities, schools and health-care centres.

The Committee draws the State party's attention to its general comment No. 17 (2013) on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts, and urges the State party to stop discriminating against girls in access to these rights, and to ensure that they are guaranteed the same rights to enjoy cultural, artistic and sports activities on equal terms with boys.

The Committee recommends that the State party take active measures to officially recognize ethnic and linguistic minority groups and that it provide them with opportunities to learn, communicate and practise their language, art, culture and religion without any undue interference. It also urges the State party to ensure that reports of unlawful arrests, detention, imprisonments, killings, torture and executions targeted against members of minority groups, including children, are promptly investigated and the perpetrators are held accountable.

The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.254, para. 71) that the State party take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures to (trafficking and sale of persons under the age of 18 years) prevent and eliminate this phenomenon and to ensure that traffickers are prosecuted, convicted and punished.

To that effect (92) the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards), the Committee recommends that the State party make use of the technical assistance tools developed by the Inter-agency Panel on Juvenile Justice, and seek technical assistance in the area of juvenile justice from members of the Panel and relevant international bodies.

The Committee recommends that the State party, in order to further strengthen the fulfilment of children's rights, consider ratifying the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on a communications procedure.

The Committee recommends that the State party, in order to further strengthen the fulfilment of children's rights, consider ratifying the core human rights instruments to which it is not yet a party, namely CEDAW and its Optional Protocol, CAT and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its Optional Protocol, the ICRMW and Members of their Families and the CPED on Enforced Disappearance.

The Committee urges the State party to fulfil its reporting obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the report for which is overdue as of 16 April 2013.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures to ensure that the recommendations contained in the present concluding observations are fully implemented. The Committee also recommends that the combined third and fourth periodic reports, the written replies to the list of issues of the State party and the present concluding observations be made widely available in the languages of the country.

The Committee invites the State party to submit its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports by 11 August 2021 and to include therein information on the follow-up to the present concluding observations. The report should be in compliance with the Committee's harmonized treaty-specific reporting guidelines adopted on 31 January 2014 (CRC/C/58/Rev.3)

The Committee invites the State party to submit an updated core document, not exceeding 42,400 words, in accordance with the requirements for the common core document in the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties, including guidelines on a common core document and treaty-specific documents (HRI/GEN/2/Rev.6, chap. I) and paragraph 16 of General Assembly resolution 68/268.

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the budget needs of children and allocate adequate budgetary resources, in accordance with article 4 of the Convention, for the implementation of children's rights, and in particular, increase the budget allocated to social sectors and address disparities on the basis of indicators related to children's rights;

Utilize a child-rights approach in the elaboration of the State budget, by implementing a tracking system for the allocation and the use of resources for children throughout the budget, and use this tracking system for impact assessments on how investments in any sector may serve the best interests of the child, ensuring that the different impact of such investment on girls and boys is measured;

Define budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations who may require affirmative social measures and make sure that those budgetary lines are protected, even in situations of economic crisis or natural disaster or other emergencies.

End the execution of children and persons who committed a crime while under the age of 18;

Take legislative measures to abolish the death sentence for persons who committed a hudud or qisas crime while under the age of 18 years, that is currently established in the Islamic Penal Code without leaving any discretion to the courts;

Commute all existing sentences for offenders on death row who committed a crime while under the age of 18 years.

Develop awareness-raising campaigns and programmes on the harmful effects of child marriage on the physical and mental health and well-being of girls, targeting households, local authorities, religious leaders, and judges and prosecutors;

Introduce and enforce national laws prohibiting all forms of child marriage and ensure that children who have been married can file a complaint on family matters such as divorce and custody of their children, and for financial compensation;

Ensure that those responsible for the approval of forced and child marriage, including judges, parents, guardians, and religious or traditional leaders, are held accountable;

In the light of its general comment No. 18 (2014) on harmful practices, adopted jointly with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, take measures to enforce article 663 of the Islamic Penal Code and to stop, effectively, the practice of female genital mutilation throughout the country;

Review its legislation with a view to banning polygamy, which is contrary to women's and girls' dignity and infringes their human rights and freedoms, including equality and protection within the family.

Collect data on children with disabilities and develop an efficient system for diagnosing disability, which is necessary for putting in place appropriate policies and programmes for children with disabilities;

Set up comprehensive measures to develop inclusive education and ensure that inclusive education is given priority over the placement of children in specialized institutions and classes;

Take immediate measures to ensure that children with disabilities have access to health care, including early detection and intervention programmes;

Train and assign specialized teachers and professionals for integrated classes providing individual support and due attention to children with learning difficulties.

Ensure that girls, including married girls, have access to primary and secondary education without any barriers, including those established by husbands, parents and communities, and raise the awareness of the public about the importance of education, in particular among indigenous Arab communities;

Take measures to provide access to education based on the national curriculum in the native languages of ethnic minorities, in particular in Azeri, Kurdish, Arabic and other languages.

End the practice of identifying Baha'i children in schools and intimidating and expelling children on account of their religion.

Prohibit, prevent and punish the harassment, bullying, and expulsion from schools of LGBTI children.

Invest in training and providing more female teachers, especially in rural areas of the country.

Ensure adequate human, technical and financial resources to schools in rural areas.

Systematically collect disaggregated data on its refugee and asylum-seeking children in order to be able to develop programmes and policies that respond to their needs;

Ensure prompt registration of all its asylum-seeking and refugee children in order to provide them with access to all basic services, including health care and education for free.

Ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children are given guardianship, free legal assistance with immigration proceedings, and access to adequate shelter, food, health care and education.

Ensure that immigration proceedings involving children are decided on the basis of the best interests of the child, and prevent separation of families during the deportation process.

Prohibit the employment of children below the age of 18 years in hazardous conditions that jeopardize physical, mental or moral health and the safety of children.

Ensure that all forms of enterprises and workshops remain within the domain of labour regulations and are systematically monitored and controlled by labour inspectors for potential violations of the rights of child workers.

Seek technical assistance in this regard from the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour of the International Labour Office.

Develop a comprehensive strategy to protect children in street situations and reduce their number, including identifying the underlying causes, such as poverty, family violence, migration, and lack of access to education, with the aim of preventing and reducing this phenomenon.

In coordination with NGOs and with children themselves, provide children in street situations with the necessary protection, including a family environment, adequate health-care services, the possibility to attend school and other social services.

Ensure that children in street situations are not subjected to discrimination, abuse or harassment by the public and by law enforcement officials and that they are not subjected to arbitrary arrest and illegal detention.

Promptly investigate complaints concerning ill-treatment and abuse of children in street situations.

Support family reunification programmes if in the best interests of the child.

In the light of its general comment No. 10 (2007) on children's rights in juvenile justice, the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards. Increase the age of criminal responsibility for girls, and ensure that girls and boys are treated on equal terms under the whole criminal justice system.

Expeditiously implement the establishment of specialized juvenile courts and procedures with adequate human, technical and financial resources for all cases involving children, including those charged with the most serious crimes, designate specialized judges for children and ensure that such specialized judges receive appropriate education and training.

Ensure the provision of qualified and independent legal aid to children in conflict with the law, if possible by the choice of the child defendant, at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings.

In the light of its general comment No. 10 (2007) on children's rights in juvenile justice, the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee strongly urges the State party, as a matter of priority, to:

Promote alternative measures to detention, such as diversion, probation, mediation, counselling or community service, wherever possible, and ensure that detention is used as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time and that it is reviewed on a regular basis with a view to withdrawing it.

Alternative measures to pretrial detention should be strengthened and applied as much as possible in order to ensure that this deprivation of liberty is really a measure of last resort and is for the shortest time possible;

Ensure procedural guarantees to preserve the privacy of children in conflict with the law throughout the investigation and trial proceedings.

In cases where detention is unavoidable, ensure that the children are not detained together with adults and that detention conditions are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health services.

The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to open greater space for the aforementioned groups of civil society actors to be able to carry out their work. He also wishes to stress the importance of freedom of expression and assembly for a democratic, open society governed by the rule of law, and encourages the Government to refrain from repressing dissent. The Special Rapporteur would also like to underscore the importance of perpetuating a culture of tolerance, and urges the Government to prevent discrimination against women, as well religious and ethnic minorities, in all spheres of public life and services, and to protect their freedoms to freely associate and express themselves.

Requests that he be allowed to visit that country in order to develop his dialogue with the authorities and either substantiate or lay to rest, allegations of human rights violations committed within its sovereign territory.

The Special Rapporteur also remains concerned about the well-being and health of prisoners, especially those mentioned in the present report, and encourages the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to launch full investigations into those cases. He also requests that he be granted the ability to substantiate accounts raised here through access to both detention centres and those detained. Requests that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran review those (above) cases and furnish the Special Rapporteur with information that would enable him to report progress or developments in those matters to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. He also urges the Government to increase its cooperation with the special procedures, as this would create a productive space for further actions to improve the human rights situation

Concludes that specific attention must be paid to legislation that serves to attenuate and abrogate rights guaranteed by the five international instruments to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a party. Impunity must also be addressed in order to facilitate accountability, provide redress for human rights violations and strengthen the rule of law, all of which are required to effectively promote respect for human rights in the country.

He continues to assert that his mandate should not be viewed as a punitive measure, but should be regarded as an opportunity to frequently and substantively engage the international community in a non-politicized, transparent and constructive forum.

Emphasizes the need to explicitly define actions that constitute crimes against national security, and encourages the Government to guarantee the space for public criticism or advocacy through peaceful activities that are protected by international law. Calls on the government to ensure that restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to information are "content-specific" as called for by the Human Rights Committee in its General Comment 34 on article 19.

He continues to emphasize the need to establish an effective national human rights mechanism that is compliant with the Paris Principles, in order to ensure that violations of human rights are investigated and sufficient remedies are provided.

The Special Rapporteur also continues to underline the importance of perpetuating a culture of tolerance, and urges the Government to prevent discrimination against women and girls, as well as religious and ethnic minorities, in all spheres of public life and services, and to protect their freedoms to freely associate and express themselves. He further calls on the Government to ensure that the minimum age for marriage complies with international standards and that measures to prevent the forced, early and temporary marriage of girls are established

The Special Rapporteur again emphasizes his concern about alleged violations of rights of due process, and requests that the Government investigate allegations of physical and psychological torture and the denial of due process rights. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur also re-emphasizes the need for an extensive, impartial and independent investigation into the violence in the weeks and months that followed the presidential election of 2009. He reiterates his call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including those alluded to in the current and previous reports; requests that the treatment of prisoners meet minimum international and national standards; and that prisoners are granted adequate access to medical care, in accordance with international standards and Iranian law

The Special Rapporteur continues to deplore the use of stoning as a form of capital punishment, and continues to strongly urge the Government to enforce its moratorium on stoning, to consider the reversal of existing stoning sentences, and to consider explicitly prohibiting its use. The Special Rapporteur also reiterates his concern about the implementation of the death penalty including in cases that do not meet the "most serious crimes" standards, as stipulated by international law. He calls on the Government to consider revisiting its qualification in the revised Islamic Penal Code on the use of capital punishment for juveniles and to consider prohibiting juvenile executions; and reiterates his call for a moratorium on the implementation of capital punishment sentences until such time as fair trial standards for capital cases can be adequately demonstrated.

The Government should consider extending the de facto moratorium on stoning. The continued failure of the judiciary to guarantee due process rights, the frequent application of the death penalty for crimes that do not meet the internationally permissible threshold for capital punishment and the imposition of the death penalty on juvenile offenders warrant an immediate and unconditional halt to such practices.

Echoes the call of the Human Rights Committee to ensure the independence of the judiciary and to investigate all allegations of torture and mistreatment of detainees.

He calls upon the Government to take immediate and effective steps to stop and reverse the desiccation of Lake Urmia and upon the international community to support the conservation efforts further.

The Special Rapporteur reiterates the call upon the Government to incorporate the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into national law, to establish an independent national human rights institution, as it pledged when the country was first considered by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, and to end all forms of discrimination in law and practice that undermine the full enjoyment of rights guaranteed by those two covenants, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, belief or opinion.

He further repeats his call for substantive engagement and cooperation between the Government and the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including compliance with the findings of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which has identified a number of cases of arbitrary detention. He appeals for the unconditional release of all those detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, conscience and political opinion, in particular journalists, human rights defenders, adherents of recognized and unrecognized religions and the leaders of the Baha'i faith.

The Government should take immediate steps to address the increasing incidence of early and forced child marriage, in particular by banning child marriage and raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 years, as specified in a number of laws identified in the country's submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. He further appeals for efforts to define and criminalize domestic violence and to expand the definition of rape to encompass marital rape to be expedited. He asserts, however, that, while domestic violence is an egregious act, it does not constitute a lethal action required for the application of capital punishment under international law.

Urges the authorities to consider examining the merits of views shared about the root causes of drug abuse and crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with proposals that urge it to re-examine the deterrent effects and human rights implications of the country's drug policies.

Appeals to the authorities to place a moratorium on the use of executions for all crimes not considered "most serious" under international law, and to consider working with international and national stakeholders to amend its laws in line with the international human rights conventions to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a party.

Urges the authorities to ensure that persons are protected from acts that impair the free communication of information and ideas about public and political issues between citizens, candidates and elected representatives, which is essential to the protection of other rights.

Existing laws and draft legislation appear to unreasonably exclude individuals from standing for public office on the basis of gender, religion, political affiliation, opinion and social or personal background. Encourages the authorities to reconsider statutes that place unreasonable conditions on the exercise by all Iranian citizens of rights protected by article 25 of the Covenant (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).

Encourages officials to reconsider amendments that would undermine the initially positive efforts to facilitate access of detained suspects to legal counsel during the investigation phase of their cases.

Continues to encourage the Government to increase its engagement with the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including his mandate, in order to establish meaningful dialogue and cooperation in furtherance of the pledges undertaken by President Rouhani's administration, and for the successful advancement of recommendations made in the universal periodic review that enjoyed the support of the Government in 2015.

Urges the authorities to recognize that dialogue and inclusive participation of all the citizens in a diverse society can form the basis of enduring initiatives that address poverty and development, and can also serve to strengthen protections for the rights of all ethnic minorities in the country. He further encourages the authorities to ensure that the rights of the members of the country's most vulnerable communities are protected and respected.

Continues to urge the authorities to consider examining the views they have shared about the root causes of drug abuse and crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as their views about the deterrent effects of the country's drug policies.

He encourages the Government to continue to amend laws in line with its legal obligations and pledges made during the Universal Periodic Review to protect the equal and full enjoyment by women of their civil, political, social and economic rights, including the right to freedom of movement, the right to work and the right to be free from discrimination, especially in the workplace.

Urges the authorities to recognize that freedom of religion or belief entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief and that measures that impose special restrictions on the practice of other faiths, or that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief, violate the guarantee of equal protection under article 26 of the International Covenant.

Reiterates his firm belief that the Government could significantly improve the country's human rights situation with the full implementation of the recommendations accepted at the outcome of the universal periodic review in 2014. Renews request for country visit.

The Special Rapporteur therefore continues to appeal to the authorities to declare a moratorium on the use of executions for all crimes not considered "most serious" under international law, and calls on the authorities to consider working with international and national stakeholders to amend its anti-narcotics laws in line with international human rights conventions to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a party.He urges the authorities to reconsider laws that render acts not considered to be crimes under international law capital offences. He 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 authorities to strengthen aspects of the 1985 Press Law to ensure that persons are protected from acts that impair the free communication of information and ideas about public and political issues between citizens, which is essential to the protection of other rights. He also urges the Government to reconsider aspects of policies that undermine the rights of individuals to associate and assemble with like-minded persons for the purposes of promoting peaceful activities.

The Special Rapporteur continues to be disturbed by reports from members of ethnic minority communities regarding arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and prosecution for protected activities that promote social, economic, cultural and linguistic rights. He urges the authorities to recognize that dialogue and the inclusive participation of all 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. He encourages the authorities to ensure that the rights of the members of the country's most vulnerable communities are protected and respected.

The Special Rapporteur remains deeply concerned about the alarming level of executions, including of juveniles, in the country. She reiterates her call on the Government to immediately and unconditionally abolish the sentencing of children to death and to engage in a comprehensive process of commutation of all death sentences issued against children, in line with juvenile justice standards. The Special Rapporteur also reiterates her calls to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, to replace the death penalty for drug-related offences with penalties that comply with relevant international standards, and to end the practice of public executions.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to abolish any provision that authorizes any form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to address as a matter of priority the state of despair in its prisons and to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment and hold accountable those found guilty.

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

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.

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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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

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".

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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