Human Rights Research League

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Research. Education. Advocacy. Development. (R.E.A.D.)

Iran

 

The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been partcitcularly troubling for many of its citizens for a very long time, especially for those challenging the authorities and their draconic grip on power, protesting against the lack of provision of the population's basic needs, and the suppression of fundamental freedoms and human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and assembly, the right to liberty and security of the person and ultimately, the right to life.

 

These basic human rights have been trampled upon for many decades, also reflected in the excessively high number of executions in the Islamic Republic, often based on trumped up charges or the extraction of false confessions under torture, as has aso been documented by various UN mechanisms, including in  reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran.    

 

Executions arbitrary detetention, and other grave violations of fundamental human rights in Iran we regularly put on the agenda by participating in public debate, in the media, academic seminars and conferences, and giving public lectures on pertinent issues.

 

At the UN Human Rights Council, we frequently intervene on these and related issues concerning the situation of human rights in Iran, in the form of written and oral statments, seminars and side events, and advocacy work, discussions and consultations with states and UN organs and mandate holders. 

 

 

 

 

During the 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) delivered several statements on Iran, both orally and in writing.

 

On 21 September 2026, during the Interactive Dialogue with the International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, HRRL Chairman Tom Syring underlined that while the Islamic Republic of Iran does not publish comprehensive public data on death sentences, even according to the government's own account, since the beginning of 2026, at least 58 individuals were executed on security-related charges. A large number of political prisoners executed in 2026 were members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). Three Kurds and Baluch men were also among those executed on political grounds.

 

Tens of thousands of people, including children, have been arrested in connection with the country-wide uprisings against the Islamic Republic in January 2026. In many cases, the fate and whereabouts of the prisoners remained unknown, which may indicate that the arrests were a prelude to enforced disappearances. 

 

For the full statement, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV.

 

Earlier in the Session, during the General Debate on Item 2, HRRL also raised the issue and fate of the large number of political prisoners currently on death row, and highlighted the 'Tuesdays Against Executions' campaign, initiated by courageous political prisoners in 2024. In this nationwide campaign, every Tuesday inmates go on hunger strike and demand a halt to all executions in Iran. HRRL urged the Council to keep in mind that the main victims of external warfare as well as of domestic oppression are the people of Iran, whose plight must not be overlooked.

 

For the full statement, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV.

 

Human Rights Research League also submitted, with international partners, a joint Written Statement on 'Escalating Political Executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran' (UN doc. A/HRC/63/NGO/356), requesting inter alia enhanced monitoring and reporting by the Special Rapporteur on the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Fact-Finding Mission and relevant thematic Special Procedures, and support for the preservation of evidence and international accountability efforts concerning executions, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and persecution on political grounds.