{"id":1440,"date":"2025-11-03T12:04:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T11:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/?p=1440"},"modified":"2025-11-09T15:40:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T14:40:26","slug":"1440","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/?p=1440","title":{"rendered":"Urgent appeal: 64 organizations alert the UN about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Date: 28 October 2025<\/p>\n

To the Members of the Third Committee
\nUnited Nations General Assembly
\nNew York, NY<\/p>\n

Your Excellencies,<\/p>\n

We, the undersigned, a group of human rights defenders, civil society activists, and families of victims of human rights violations in Iran \u2014 express our deepest concern over the intensifying and continuing pattern of organized repression by the Islamic Republic of Iran.<\/p>\n

Three years after the beginning of the \u201cWoman, Life, Freedom\u201d movement, the human rights situation in Iran has entered an unprecedented phase of state violence and systematic violations of fundamental rights. While international attention has gradually declined, the Iranian authorities have exploited this silence to launch a new wave of executions, torture, enforced disappearances, and political persecution.<\/p>\n

From the beginning of 2025 until the end of September, at least 1,042 individuals have been executed in Iran \u2014 placing the country first in the world in proportion to its population. This figure marks a sharp increase compared to previous years: from approximately 580 cases in 2022 to over 975 in 2024, with an upward trend continuing.<\/p>\n

The high number of executions in Iran demonstrates a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of state intimidation and social control. A significant portion of those executed belong to ethnic and religious minorities \u2014 particularly Kurds, Baluchis, and Arabs, as well as Afghan migrants. In numerous cases, death sentences have been issued after brief trials lacking minimum fair trial guarantees. Only a fraction of executions are officially announced, while many take place in secrecy. Public hangings have also resumed this year, with several cases of executions carried out in public.<\/p>\n

Following the twelve-day armed confrontation between Iran and Israel in June 2025, Iranian security forces exploited the wartime and security atmosphere to intensify domestic repression. During that period, more than 21,000 individuals were arrested nationwide, including civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and dual nationals. Thousands of foreign nationals \u2014 mostly Afghan migrants \u2014 were also detained on alleged security grounds. The wave of arrests has continued even after the hostilities ended. Many detainees remain subjected to enforced disappearance, with their families unaware of their fate or whereabouts. The risk of torture and execution for these detainees remains acute. Within the one hundred days following the mass arrests, the rate of executions reportedly increased by about 40 percent, averaging four executions per day.<\/p>\n

The situation of political and religious prisoners in Iran \u2014 particularly in Evin, Qarchak, Fashafouyeh, and Ghezel Hesar prisons \u2014 constitutes clear evidence of torture and inhuman treatment. Shortages of medicine, inadequate food, lack of ventilation, overcrowding,<\/p>\n

unsanitary conditions, and degrading behavior are part of their daily reality. Many prisoners are denied contact with their families, access to lawyers, and medical care.<\/p>\n

In response to these conditions, on 13 October 2025, a group of prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison (Karaj) launched a hunger strike in protest against the ongoing wave of executions, the inhumane conditions of detention, and the violent conduct of prison officials. The strike was temporarily suspended after several weeks due to the deteriorating health of prisoners and severe pressure from prison authorities. During the strike, many prisoners suffered from extreme physical weakness, loss of consciousness, and significant weight loss. Authorities sought to break the protest by cutting off access to water, medicine, and phone calls. Several strikers were transferred to solitary confinement and beaten, while their families were left without news for weeks. Although the strike has ended, serious concerns remain about the fate of the detainees and the continued use of executions. The hunger strike represented a powerful act of civil resistance against the state\u2019s policy of death. Ignoring its message risks a repetition of atrocities reminiscent of the mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Torture \u2014 both physical and psychological \u2014 remains widespread during arrest and interrogation. Methods include beatings, electric shocks, threats of sexual violence, sleep deprivation, and forced administration of psychoactive drugs aimed at physical and mental exhaustion. Deliberate denial of medical treatment and unhygienic conditions have led to the slow death of several detainees. Numerous suspicious deaths in custody indicate that the authorities are deliberately using medical neglect as a means of eliminating dissidents.<\/p>\n

In this regard, we respectfully call upon the Third Committee to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Address and condemn the widespread executions and the hunger strike in Ghezel Hesar Prison as grave violations of the right to life and human dignity.<\/li>\n
  2. Request the UN General Assembly to take note of the findings of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, and call upon the Human Rights Council to renew and strengthen its mandate, while requesting the Secretary-General to ensure the continued transmission of the Mission\u2019s reports to the General Assembly.<\/li>\n
  3. Support immediate, independent, and unhindered access for UN Special Rapporteurs and observers to Iranian detention facilities.<\/li>\n
  4. Encourage Member States to impose targeted sanctions on officials responsible for grave human rights violations.<\/li>\n
  5. Urge Member States and relevant UN bodies to press for an immediate halt to executions, an end to torture, and the release of political and religious prisoners.<\/li>\n
  6. Call on OHCHR and UNVFVT to provide urgent psychological, social, and financial support to affected families.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Today, Iran stands at a critical moment in its modern history \u2014 a moment in which the right to life and human dignity is being systematically violated. Silence in the face of these abuses amounts to complicity in the perpetuation of impunity and repression.<\/p>\n

    With respect and hope for prompt and effective action,<\/p>\n

    The Undersigned :<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Arc Association for the Defense of Human Rights and the Democratic\/Cultural Demands of the Azerbaijani People of Iran \u2013 \u201cArcDH\u201d (NGO holding consultative status with ECOSOC) \u2013 arcdh@laposte.net<\/li>\n
    2. Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (NGO holding consultative status with ECOSOC) \u2013 Info@lrwc.org<\/li>\n
    3. Zagros Human Rights Center (NGO holding consultative status with ECOSOC) \u2013 contact@zagros-centre.org<\/li>\n
    4. 6Rang (Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network) \u2013 Info@6rang.org<\/li>\n
    5. Ahwazi Source \u2013 ahwazisource@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    6. Alliance for Women, Life, Freedom – Stockholm \u2013 hormoz_r@hotmail.com<\/li>\n
    7. Alliance of Leftist Women \u2013 parvinmalek2@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    8. Association of the Women Life Freedom Movement – Florence \u2013 sabrinajafi@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    9. Balochistan Human Rights Campign – Bhrcampaign@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    10. Balochistan Human Rights Group \u2013 contact@bhrg.info<\/li>\n
    11. BRAMSH (Balochistan Woman\u2019s Voice) \u2013 contact@bramsh.org<\/li>\n
    12. Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI) \u2013 cfppiiran2006@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    13. Campaign to Save Political Prisoners and Prisoners Sentenced to Death \u2013 noexecution66@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    14. Camping to Free Political Prisoner in Iran and Author \u2013 hashemfazeli34@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    15. Comit\u00e9 Ind\u00e9pendant Contre la R\u00e9pression des Citoyens Iraniens \u2013 faramarz.bahar@yahoo.fr<\/li>\n
    16. Committee for the Protection of Human Rights in Iran – K\u00f6ln \u2013 hamahangikoln@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    17. Dadxiazani Kurdistan \u2013 dadxuzani.kurdistan1@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    18. Daughters of Justice \u2013 zhinobabamiri@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    19. Esmail Khoi Foundation \u2013 shahla_abghari@yahoo.com<\/li>\n
    20. Ex-Muslim in Scandinavia \u2013 exmuslimstockholm@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    21. Free Iranian Women’s Association \u2013 sabrinajafi@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    22. Free Them Now \u2013 shahla.daneshfar2@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    23. Free_Human \u2013 Zoya@online.de<\/li>\n
    24. FreeIran. Switzerland \u2013 masoud@freeiran.ch<\/li>\n
    25. F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Europerse \u2013 Europerse@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    26. Global Campaign to Stop Executions in Iran \u2013 StopExecutionNow.ir@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    27. Group 25 Shahrivar \u2013 info@group25shahruvar.org<\/li>\n
    28. HANA Human Rights Organization \u2013 Info@hanahr.org<\/li>\n
    29. Independent Alliance for Free Iran IAFI – contact@iafiran.org<\/li>\n
    30. IIPHA \u2013 boardmembers@iipha.org<\/li>\n
    31. International Association of Iranian Legal and Political Advocates \u2013 nayerjuristbyra@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    32. International Committee Against Executions (ICAE) \u2013 i.c.a.e.i.r@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    33. International Federation of Iranian Refugees \u2013 asadiabe@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    34. International Solidarity for Peace \u2013 ISIP \u2013 asip.paix@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    35. Iran Coalition (JANA) \u2013 jana.coalition@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    36. Iran Global Network to Free Political Prisoners \u2013 IranGlobalNetworkfpp@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    37. Iran House \u2013 Contact@iran-house.org<\/li>\n
    38. Iranian Culture and Art Club of Fresno, California \u2013 kanoonfresno@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    39. Iranian Teachers’ Union Challenge \u2013 Chaleshsenfimoallemaniran@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    40. IranProtest – Malm\u00f6 – Sweden \u2013 soudishakib@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    41. Italian Movement Network of Woman Life Freedom \u2013 reteitalianadonnavitaliberta@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    42. Justice Supporter\u00e0 Association \u2013 kanonhamiyanedalat@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    43. Khavaran Center \u2013 h.pooya@sympatico.ca<\/li>\n
    44. Kurdistan Women’s Union \u2013 etehadezanan.kurdestan@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    45. Mahsa Foundation – Copenhagen, Denmark \u2013 foundation.mahsa@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    46. MCSD Iran \u2013 mnrallyforiran@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    47. Me Too movement Iran – ShaghayeghNorouzi@metooiran.com<\/li>\n
    48. NAVAWIND – navawind@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    49. Network of Iranian for Liberty & Democracy (NIKA) \u2013 Nikanetwork2024@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    50. No to Taboo, No to Violence Against Women \u2013 tabootabo30@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    51. Rojhalat Women Organization \u2013 babaksuhaila@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    52. SHIVAR \u2013 shiwar.academia@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    53. Simorgh_Berlin \u2013 farshad.mani@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    54. Solidarity Network for Human Rights in Iran \u2013 shabake.hambastegi@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    55. Solidarity with Iranian Society \u2013 Solidarityiranvan@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    56. Stop Honor Killing in Iran \u2013 stophonorkillings2020@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    57. UTEEIRAN \u2013 UTEEIRAN@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    58. Victims & Justice Seekers of the Jina Uprising \u2013 rada.fatehi@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    59. Voice of Iranian Social Democratic Women \u2013 soraja.nadimpour@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    60. W.I.S.E \u2013 w.i.s.e2020@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    61. Woman Life Freedom Network Belgium \u2013 wlf.net.be@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    62. Woman, Life, Freedom Group in Gothenburg, Sweden \u2013 zanneazadi@gmail.com<\/li>\n
    63. Women’s Rights Organization \u2013 Kvinnorattsforbundet@gmail.com<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

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      \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Date: 28 October 2025 To the Members of the Third Committee United Nations General Assembly New York, NY Your Excellencies, We, the undersigned, a group of human rights defenders, civil society activists, and families of victims of human rights violations in Iran \u2014 express our deepest concern over the intensifying and continuing pattern of organized …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,57,33,11,48,4,2,20,9,47,50,3,8,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-baloch","category-baluch","category-call","category-execution","category-human-right-oranisations","category-human-rights-council","category-iran","category-iran-special-rapporteur","category-iran-news","category-kurd","category-kurds","category-minorities","category-news","category-prisoners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1440"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1450,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions\/1450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zagros-centre.org\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}