New Report by ‘Javid Rahman’: Suppression of Minorities, Workers, and Opponents of Mandatory Hijab in Iran

Javid Rahman, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, has released his latest report on the state of human rights in the country, expressing concerns about the situation of minorities in Iran, the suppression of workers, and opponents of mandatory hijab.

In this report released on Wednesday, November 1st, Javid Rahman stated: Religious and ethnic minorities in Iran face serious challenges in exercising their rights.

He added: Religious and ethnic minorities face a disproportionate number of executions following accusations related to national security.

The report states: Religious and ethnic minorities are targeted by arbitrary arrests and detentions due to peaceful activities to assert their rights or the right to use their own language.

The detention of Iranian-American citizens or non-Iranian nationals is another concern raised in this report. The report states that foreign nationals or dual nationals who have been arrested do not have the right to legal representation, face vague and criminal charges, and are denied access to medical services.

The report states that between September 2018 and July 2019, eight lawyers in Iran were arrested for providing legal services to political prisoners and human rights activists. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights also referred to the sentence of 38 years imprisonment and 148 lashes for Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer.

The suppression of activists opposed to mandatory hijab is also mentioned in Javid Rahman’s report. According to this report, at least 32 people have been arrested in this regard since January 2018 and have faced prison sentences of up to 33 years.

Javid Rahman also referred to the suppression of workers in this report, stating that seven people were arrested during the Haftapeh workers’ protests and sentenced to terms ranging from six to 19 years.

Source: Voice of America