GENEVA - UN human rights experts* today urged Iranian authorities to fully disclose the fate and whereabouts of individuals detained, forcibly disappeared or missing in the aftermath of the nationwide protests, and to halt all death sentences and executions related to the demonstrations.
"The true scale of the violent crackdown on Iranian protesters remains impossible to determine at this point," the experts said. "The discrepancy between official figures and grassroots estimates only deepens the anguish of families searching for their loved ones and displays a profound disregard for human rights and accountability."
Iranian authorities have acknowledged 3,117 deaths and approximately 3,000 arrests, whereas human rights organisations estimate these figures to be in the tens of thousands. The vast majority of those detained or killed are ordinary people, including children, from all provinces and diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, as well as Afghan nationals, of which there are some 5 million living in Iran. They include lawyers who sought to represent protesters, medical professionals who treated the wounded, journalists, and writers, artists and human rights defenders who supported the protests.
Families across Iran remain unable to locate their relatives, whether they are among the injured in hospitals, held in detention facilities or among fatalities in forensic institutes. Many families of known detainees report being denied regular contact, heightening concerns for the safety of their loved ones.
"The prohibition of enforced disappearance and torture, and the protection of the right to life, are fundamental norms of international law which cannot be derogated in any circumstance including public emergency or political instability," the experts said.
They warned that, in the absence of transparency, a devastating narrative starts to take shape, with unverified reports of burial sites and secret executions emerging.
"When a State refuses to account for the whereabouts of its people, others will fill that void - and the picture that emerges will define this period in Iran's history," the experts said. "The people of Iran have a right to know what is happening in their own country. Without answers, we will assume the worst."
Furthermore, the internet restrictions, now in their sixth week, continue to obstruct verification of conditions on the ground. Full connectivity is reserved for State-approved users. For the wider population, access is severely restricted, frequently dependent on expensive and difficult-to-obtain VPN services, leaving many cut off from reliable connectivity. Furthermore, security forces have been reportedly conducting street checks, during which individuals are stopped and their mobile phones searched for protest-related content, including social media activity, photographs and videos.
The experts noted that, within this void, State media have continued to broadcast what are widely regarded as forced confessions, and expressed concern about the labelling of protesters as "terrorists" in the legitimate exercise of their fundamental rights.
Moreover, in recent weeks, Baha'is have reportedly faced increased incitement and detention. Many detainees have allegedly been denied access to lawyers of their choosing, with reports of legal representatives, including State-approved counsel, prevented from meeting their clients. Against this backdrop, there have been some reports of protesters receiving severe sentences, including the death penalty. Serious concerns have also been raised regarding the treatment of detainees, including the heightened risks of gender-based violence in such context.
The experts called on Iranian authorities to immediately take the following actions: halt all executions and death sentences, including those linked to the protests; disclose the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons; release all those arbitrarily detained during and after the protests, and guarantee their due process rights; restore full telecommunications access; and ensure independent, impartial, thorough and effective investigations and accountability for the human rights violations and provide unimpeded access to international human rights monitors.
The experts remain in contact with Iranian authorities on these issues.
