This report reveals how the Islamic Republic of Iran has orchestrated an array of regime front groups to subvert and rig the United Nations’ first review of Tehran’s human rights record since 2019, which is about to be adopted today in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council.
Background
Today, July 1, 2025, the Islamic Republic of Iran is scheduled to complete the last stage of its UN Universal Periodic Review, a system whereby every UN member state has its human rights record reviewed by fellow member states.
The Universal Periodic Review is supposed to be an opportunity for countries to provide genuine critiques and recommendations in the field of human rights. Instead, autocracies often hijack this mechanism to create a platform for dictators to shower each other with praise and legitimize their rule under the banner of the UN.
Today the United Nations’ top human rights body is about to adopt a report on Iran’s human rights record that is the outcome of a review process has been subverted and tainted by Iranian front groups.
In their orchestrated take-over of the UN debate and the process of NGO written submissions, the IRGC proxies managed to dilute the regime’s crimes with false testimonies and endless praise, which will be used by the mullahs to legitimize their brutal rule.
UN Watch calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN rights chief Volcker Turk to denounce and combat this dangerous abuse of the UN and its human rights system.
The Report
Part I of the report documents how the IRI is planning to flood the UN’s limited debate slots today with regime front groups posing as “non-governmental” organizations, in order to divert the discussion and pollute it with pro-regime propaganda, and to silence genuine human rights activists by pushing them outside the UN debate.
Part II shows how the the UN summary document of Iran’s human rights record, as reflected by NGO written submissions, was poisoned by a tsunami of false information. Nearly half of all submitted statements came from Iranian “GONGOs” (Government-Organized NGOs), being groups situated in Iran and controlled by the regime.
Many of the written interventions describe Iran as a paradise for women’s rights, with submissions to the UN report such as, “Since the Islamic Revolution, there has been a noticeable improvement in the status of women in various fields.”
In other words, the United Nations’ top human rights body is about to adopt a report on Iran’s human rights records that is the outcome of a review process has been subverted and tainted by Iranian front groups.
In their orchestrated take-over of the UN debate and the process of NGO written submissions, the IRGC proxies managed to dilute the regime’s crimes with false testimonies and endless praise, which will be used by the mullahs to legitimize their brutal rule.
We call on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN rights chief Volcker Turk to denounce and combat this dangerous abuse of the UN and its human rights system.
I. Iranian Regime Front Groups Take Up Key Slots Reserved For Non-Governmental Rights Groups
In its latest strategy to undermine the UN system, Iran has developed an elaborate system of front groups to flood the debate slots, pollute the discussion with pro-regime propaganda, and push out real activists.
Although they are controlled by the Iranian regime, these front groups easily win UN accreditation as “non-governmental” organizations, giving them UN badges to access the world body’s facilities in New York and Geneva, and to make oral and written interventions in key debates and in the production of UN reports.
In addition to disseminating the mullahs’ talking points, members of these fake NGOs who enter the UN premises are also alleged to be working for the regime in helping to identify Iranian human rights activists who attend the UN session, and in some cases, under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, to intimidate their families still in Iran.
Obtaining a rare speaking slot during the Iran debate is a highly competitive endeavor for NGOs, with only 10 ultimately being selected to speak.
United Nations Watch has reviewed the 10 NGOs slated to speak, and found that about half of them are Iranian regime proxies.
Following is a glimpse into who these groups really are.
1. Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism
The Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism (ADVT) was founded in Tehran in June 2007 by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Two central figures in its establishment are Mohammad Javad Larijani, advisor to Khamenei and member of the prominent IRGC-linked “Larijani” family, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, former Minister of Justice, Interior, and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
The Association’s events are regularly chaired and attended by the regime’s top ministers and IRGC commanders. This includes Mohammad Javad Heshmati, the Deputy Attorney General of Iran; Mohammad Abdollah-Pour, IRGC commander; Mohammad Reza Naqdi, deputy coordinator of the IRGC and former commander of the Basij; Javad Mansouri, the IRGC’s first commander; Hassan Rahimian, representative of the Supreme Leader; and IRGC Brig. Gen. Esmaeil Kousari, commander of the IRGC’s 27th division.
On its website, the so-called NGO claims that “the main aim of the Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism is a world without terrorism” and to achieve this they employ “cultural methods, raising awareness, and showing the devastating consequences of terrorism narrated by those who have lost their dearest ones in terrorist attacks.”
The reality, however, is that the front group consistently attempts to distort the definition of terrorism and invert its meaning. In one article, they claim that America is the terrorist and the Houthis are supporting a good, “human” cause:
“America’s principles and rules are very clear, and its support for terrorism is well-known. Anyone who opposes America’s policies is called a terrorist! Are the actions of the Yemenis terrorism?! They are supporting a human cause, your country is one of the biggest supporters of terrorism, and terrorism is what you created in Syria.”
In another article, they falsely claim that Israel arms ISIS:
“Israel, with the aim of defeating Hamas and trying to replace this movement, has armed an ISIS-affiliated group in the Rafah region…Weapons were transferred to ISIS-affiliated groups in Rafah by security agencies and on the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…The Zionist regime’s support for terrorist groups in the region is no secret… the regime also supported ISIS terrorists in southern Syria…”
In March 2021, ADVT held an event co-hosted by Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Abul-Hassan Nawab, the president of the University of Religions and Denominations. Seyyed Abul-Hassan Nawab has held multiple senior positions within the IRGC, including as representative of the Supreme Leader in the logistics of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (1982-1985), Head of the Political Ideological Faculty of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Qom (1985-1988) and responsible for the affairs of the clergy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by order of the Supreme Leader (1989-1992). Nawab also has ties to the IRGC’s Quds Force, the extraterritorial arm of the IRGC responsible for managing Iran’s terror proxies.
In July of that year, ADVT held a side event at the UN Human Rights Council during its 47th session, which featured Mir Mostafa Seyed Ashrafi, Head of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of District 20; Vahid Bezar, an expert at the Office of Legal and International Services of the Iranian President; and Judge Jabbar Esaisian, head of Branch 13 of the Kermanshah Provincial Court of Appeal.
In September of that year, ADVT held another event featuring high-level Iranian officials. This time it included Mamosta Rostami, a representative of the Assembly of Experts - the body that appoints and dismisses Supreme Leaders; Hojjatoleslam Pourzahabi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Kurdistan Province; Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Zarei, Deputy Political and Security Officer of the Kurdistan Governorate; and Dr. Abbasi, Deputy Minister of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice.
The group also submitted a written statement to the UPR system where it directly cited the words of the Islamic Regime: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the major victims of terrorism, and at the same time, as one of the strongest combatants against this phenomenon, believes that terrorism and extremism have led to gross violations of human rights and it has also threatened the political, social and economic development of nations. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the adoption of a dual approach to countries, with regard to terrorism, is not only unconstructive, but also contributes to the deviation of efforts in the global fight against terrorism and, ultimately, to strengthening and further growth of terrorism.”
2. The Institute for Protection of Women’s Rights
The Institute for Protection of Women’s Rights (IPWR) was established in Tehran in 2015. On its website, it claims that “The Islamic Republic of Iran, following the manifest religion of Islam, considers women as active elements of society and has carried out many policies, legislations, and activities for the growth and advancement of women. In this regard, the Institute for the Protection of Women’s Rights, believing that very valuable measures have been taken in the field of women’s protection, is trying to take effective steps for the growth and advancement of women in our beloved land of Iran…” The page also states that IPWR has licenses from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage - an admission that its operation is explicitly sanctioned by the Regime.
As a s0-called NGO focused on women’s rights in Iran, one would expect at least one statement on the globally covered “Women Life Freedom” protests that erupted in Iran in 2022 and sparked the UN to establish a Fact-Finding Mission. Yet there is radio silence from the IPWR on the topic. Instead, IPWR has published countless articles and statements to commend the government and parrot its talking points. Below are some of the most notable examples:
On November 11, 2024, IPWR posted an infographic titled “Achievements of the Islamic Revolution in the field of women”. In an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster, the head of the IPWR, Atiyeh Qashoni, stated that “the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 was a turning point that called women to various social scenes and provided a unique opportunity for the manifestation of their talents and capabilities.”
During the 58th UN Human Rights Council Session, IPWR organized a side-event to propagate the narrative that Western sanctions are at fault for any human rights abuses that occur to women in Iran. One of the panelists was Mona Rahmani, the daughter of Mostafa Rahmani, who was the director of the Iranian Interest Section at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C., which was Iran’s de facto diplomatic mission in the U.S. in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
On February 13, 2025 the IPWR organized an event titled: “Girls in the Posthuman Era” where Islamist Cleric, Yahya Jahangiri Suhrawardi, spoke about risks “such as the blurring of gender boundaries and changes in the definition of human, the possibility of confusion and loss of identity in individuals, mind control, and the creation of biological weapons.”
On November 8, 2024, the IPWR hosted Soudeh Najafi, Member of the Islamic Council of Tehran, at one of its events. Soudeh is part of the hardline conservative government that took over the Tehran municipality in 2021. At the event Soudeh stated:
“The Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini (may God have mercy on him) was a prominent point in the history of Iran… Since the days of victory, the enemies of the revolution have been trying and striving to stop the popular movement of the Iranian nation… but what has allowed the Islamic Revolution to continue its path with strength to this day has been the leadership of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei (may God protect him)… The Islamic Revolution of Iran brought about good achievements for society in various fields… One of the most important of these achievements has been the attention paid to the presence of women in the social, political and international arenas… The Islamic Revolution, by understanding this issue and considering the undeniable role of women in political and social activities, brought about a fundamental and amazing transformation in the status of women in Iranian society with the formation of the revolution and the changes that took place in the country. This issue was the result of the Islamic Revolution’s view of the status and dignity of women, which was able to expand the scope of their participation in society.”
3. Association of Iranian Jurists Defending Human Rights
The Association of Iranian Jurists Defending Human Rights was established in 1993 in Tehran. On its website, it displays an organizational chart that lists Nabiollah Ahmadlou (نبی الله احمدلو) as Head of the Association and Ghodratollah Nowroozi (قدرت الله نوروزی) as a Member of the International Affairs Committee.
Nabiollah Ahmadlou is a well-known figure within the Iranian judiciary and political system, having served as the head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court’s Branch 26, a court notoriously known for handling political and security cases, including those against dissidents, journalists, and human rights defenders. Revolutionary Courts in Iran are deeply intertwined with the security apparatus of the IRGC and operate under the authority of the judiciary as a core pillar of sustaining the Iranian regime’s brutal rule. In this role, Ahmadlou was actively involved in prosecuting activists in Iran.
Ghodratollah Nowroozi was the former mayor of Isfahan and head of the Justice Department in the city. He, too, would have been instrumental in the preservation of the regime through legal persecution of dissidents, journalists, and human rights defenders.
On October 17, 2012, the Association’s leaders met with Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, former president of Iran and member of the Assembly of Experts, highlighting their significant connections to the highest echelons of power in Tehran.
On its Telegram, the Association boasts about its recent meeting with the Minister of Justice of Iran, Amin Hossein Rahimi, on January 29th, 2024.
In another post from November 22, 2023, the Association wishes a “Happy Basij Week to all Basij fighters and heroes of jihad and martyrdom.” Stating, “If the heartwarming sound of the Basij ideology resonates in a country, the greedy eyes of enemies and world-worshippers will turn away from it… A nation that follows the line of pure Islam of Muhammad (PBUH) and opposes arrogance, money worship, petrification, and sacrilege must have all its people as Basijis…The Basij is the loyal army of God, whose formation document was signed by all the Mujahideen, from the first to the last…In this world, my pride is that I am a Basij member.”
The Basij is a large, state-sponsored paramilitary militia in Iran, founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November 1979, shortly after the Islamic Revolution. It is one of the five forces of the IRGC and plays a crucial role in maintaining internal security, suppressing dissent, enforcing Islamic laws, gathering intelligence, and implementing state policies.
Shortly after October 7th, the organization also held an event on “the crimes of the zionist entity”, which they advertised on Telegram. Among the panelists is Nasser Abu Sharif, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad representative in Iran, and a U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his ties to the PIJ’s militant activities.
On December 26, 2023, the group eulogized Sayyed Reza Mousavi, a senior IRGC commander and Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds force.
4. International Association of Justice Watch
The International Association of Justice Watch (IAJW) does not have a functional website - a testament to the fact that it only exists as a shell ready to be operationalized by the regime for its nefarious practices at the UN. Sparse information can be found about the organization online, except that according to the ECOSOC NGO database, it operates out of Tehran, and therefore, with the tacit approval of the IRGC, which keeps a tight grip over NGOs in the country. On its UPR submission, IAJW concedes that it last participated at the Human Rights Council over a decade ago in 2013, suggesting that Iran has mobilized dormant NGOs in an effort to circumvent ECOSOC’s accreditation process for new NGOs, which are subject to approval by other member states. Since its revamp in 2024, the NGO has submitted one written statement to the HRC regurgitating the regime’s talking points on America, Israel, and the war in Gaza.
On its now-dormant Facebook page, the organization can be seen celebrating the regime in 2014.
II. Tainted Report: Half of Written Submissions to UN Report Came From Islamic Regime Front Groups
In addition to speaking at the debate, NGOs can also submit written statements to the UPR system, which are reflected in a written report published by the UN Human Rights Council. Iran’s proxies exploited the mechanism to overwhelm the UN review process with a tsunami of false information.
Nearly half of all submitted statements are from GONGOs (Government-Organized NGOs) situated in Iran and controlled by the regime, whose lies are now reflected in the UN summary document.
The proxies successfully injected the Iranian regime’s narrative that all of the country’s ills are caused by Western sanctions, which they call “unilateral coercive measures.” Thus, at p.16, the report notes the claims that “challenges such as the interruptions in the distribution of medicines and the decrease in the quality of medical services” are “caused by unilateral coercive measures” - in other words, Western countries. The UN report goes on to report the claim that “since the reimposition of US sanctions in 2018, the Islamic Republic of Iran had been denied access to drugs to treat thalassemia, disrupting patient care, which had resulted in increased morbidity and mortality among thalassemia patients.”
Other regime propaganda that entered the UN report is thinly veiled praise for Tehran’s policies, including one regime proxy’s recommendation “that the Government continue providing health insurance for all citizens, including those in rural areas.” (UN report, p. 16, citing Iran’s “Help Institute.”)
Who are the Iranian regime front groups?
The fake NGOs who submitted propaganda statement to the UN include the “Network of Women’s NGOs in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the “Better World Association,” and the “Institute for Entrepreneurial and Successful Women.”
Other regime-controlled “NGOs” include: the Iranian Family Foundation Association, Family Defenders Association, Foundation for Supporting Girls’ Education, Help Institute, Iranian Elite Research Center, The Institute of Solidarity for Peace and Development, Institute of Solidarity for Peace and Freedom, Mothers’ Support Association, Institute of Peace and Humanitarian Support, Center of Iranian Lawyers, The Institute of Justice for All, Union of Women for Women, Iranian Anti-Tobacco Aassociation, and the World Association of Isargar Peace Loving Women.
Following is a survey of several of these front groups, and a selection of the propaganda that they submitted to the UN.
1. Abshar - Abshar Atefeha Charity Institute
Abshar’s founder and current managing director is Mohammad Javad Fouladpour. Fouladpour was appointed as the Head of the Charity Committee of the National Rahian-e Noor Campaign by Brigadier General Nader Adibi of the IRGC. He has also held meetings with the IRGC commanders of Yazd and North Khorasan provinces.
2. Association of Save Special Patients
Co-founded by Hashemi Rafsanjani, the fourth president of Iran, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces during the Iran-Iraq War, and an instrumental figure in selecting Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader in 1989.
3. Family Foundation Association
In its UPR submission, it claims, “Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran has paid particular attention to advancing women’s affairs and improving their rights and status…The Islamic Republic of Iran has significantly improved women’s dignity, honor, and social and human character.”
4. Freedom Defenders Association
In its UPR submission, it claims, “Sunnis in Iran are not considered a religious minority; in fact, they are considered a part of the majority of Muslim society and enjoy religious freedoms in Iran… According to the country’s laws, Sunnis are not restricted in their employment in government institutions and offices.” The reality, however, is that Sunni Muslims are systematically discriminated against in Iran. For example, it is forbidden to have Sunni mosques in Tehran. Even the UN General Assembly, in its annual resolutions on Iran, has called out the regime’s discrimination against Sunnis.
5. Foundation for Supporting Girls’ Education
In its UPR submission, it claims, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has taken many steps for women’s equal access to education and to improve the status of women in terms of gender justice.”
6. Institute of Development for Everyone
In its UPR submission, the group claimed: “The Iranian government considers the empowerment of women and their increased participation in social and managerial roles, as well as the protection of women’s rights based on the Iranian-Islamic context, as fundamental policies.”
7. Institute for Entrepreneurial and Successful Women
In its UPR submission, it states: “After the Islamic Revolution of Iran, there has been a significant increase in awareness and expansion of higher education for women, resulting in a notable transformation in women’s participation in political and social activities, a trend that we can all be proud of and that promises a brighter future for Gender justice in Iran.”
8. International Foundation Witnesses Ashoora
In its UPR submission, it states: “One of the major challenges in exercising and facilitating the right to peaceful assembly in Iran is the apparent activities of members of terrorist groups based in European and Western countries.”
9. The Institute for Protection of Women’s Rights
In its UPR submission, it states, “Iran has been making significant efforts in empowering women, especially those who are heads of households, as part of its broader strategy to promote gender justice and economic development.”
10. Union of Women for Women
In its UPR submission, it states, “Iran has adopted legislative and policy measures to protect women’s rights.”
11. Better World Association
In its UPR submission, it states: “The right of peaceful assembly is recognized both by the Constitution and the ordinary laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and, those participating therein are supported as long as they do not resort to unconventional measures. It is noted that gatherings in the Islamic Republic of Iran, if peaceful, are supported by law enforcement officers even in case a permit has not been obtained therefor. This is emblematic of the support and promotion policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the right of peaceful assembly as a human right.”
12. Center of Iranian Lawyers
In its UPR submission, it defends the death penalty in Iran: “In criticizing life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, some experts have emphasized that while life imprisonment may be effective in individual prevention, it has no effect in general prevention and teaching others. Moreover, from a socio-psychological point of view, i.e., from the point of view of the horror it causes in people, the death penalty has no such effect as imprisonment. Some have also pointed out that prison sentences for dangerous criminals, however long they may be, are not enough to prevent crime. Not to mention that the punishment for the offender is murder and can in no way substitute for execution.”
13. Institute of Peace and Humanitarian Supporter
In its UPR submission, it states: “Since the Islamic Revolution, there has been a noticeable improvement in the status of women in various fields.”
14. Institute of Solidarity for Peace and Development
In its UPR submission, it states, “Finally, we welcome the Iranian government’s efforts to promote women’s rights and improve their progress, which is made possible by the fact that members of non-governmental organizations are considered allies of the government. We would also like to emphasize this point.”
15. Help Institute
In its UPR submission, it admits that it prepared the report with the explicit purpose of promoting Iran’s image: “We prepared this report on the initiative and measures taken by the Iranian government to improve the health situation in the country. We welcome all the strategic health plans that the state is implementing to protect this right.”
Conclusion
The United Nations’ top human rights body is about to adopt a report on Iran’s human rights records that is the outcome of a review process has been subverted and tainted by Iranian front groups. In their orchestrated take-over of the UN debate and the process of NGO written submissions, the IRGC proxies managed to dilute the regime’s crimes with false testimonies and endless praise, which will be used by the mullahs to legitimize their brutal rule. We call on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN rights chief Volcker Turk to denounce and combat this dangerous abuse of the UN and its human rights system.
