Volker Türk calls for complete and permanent abolition of the hijab law in Iran
Volker Türk called for the complete and permanent abolition of the hijab law in Iran at a meeting of the Human Rights Council.
Today, Monday, March 3, the Human Rights Council meeting was held in Geneva. In a statement at the meeting, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern about the increase in executions and called for the complete and permanent abolition of the hijab law in Iran.
Commissioner Türk also referred to the temporary suspension of the so-called Chastity and Hijab Law and said: "This law, which has been temporarily suspended, must be completely eliminated, along with other discriminatory laws and practices against women and girls." He called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to end arbitrary detentions and also release human rights defenders from prison.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke at the meeting about the increase in executions in recent years and expressed concern, adding: "More than 900 executions have been reported, which is deeply concerning. The Islamic Republic must immediately stop carrying out death sentences."
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has also recently prepared reports on executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which indicate that in 2024, at least 901 people were executed by the Islamic Republic's regime, compared to 853 cases reported in 2023, indicating an increase in executions in 2024 compared to the previous year.
In another part of his speech about the rise of patriarchal discourses, Volker Türk said: "I am concerned about the resurgence of destructive ideas about patriarchy and attempts to promote gender stereotypes, especially among young people. It is shocking to me that misogynistic influencers have millions of followers on social media and are even recognized as heroes in some circles."
He also warned about this, adding: "These trends, both in cyberspace and in the real world, have created greater resistance to gender equality and have led to increased violence, hatred, and threats against women, women's rights defenders, and female politicians."
In addition to the human rights issues mentioned in the aforementioned meeting, the new reports of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and the final report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the nationwide protests that took place after the killing of Mahsa Amini are among the issues that will be raised in the current session of the Human Rights Council in the second half of March.
