UN Mission Says Iran's Government Committed Crimes Against Humanity

A fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council said Iranian state security forces committed widespread and systematic human rights violations that in many cases amount to crimes against humanity.

A UN-backed fact-finding mission has documented allegations of widespread human rights abuses by Iranian security forces. [Photo: Reza Dehshiri, Wikimedia Commons]

The mission said Iranian authorities had carried out violent repression over the past two years, including killings, beatings, arbitrary arrests and torture.

It also reported restrictions on access to legal counsel and cases in which families were left without information about detained relatives.

The experts said the abuses included murder, imprisonment, torture and other inhumane acts committed as part of what they described as a widespread and systematic attack against civilians.

The mission also reported increased use of the death penalty and said more than 70 people, including five women and three boys, were at imminent risk of execution at the time of its report.

The experts called on both Iran and the United States to halt violations and provide reparations to victims.

The findings form part of the mission's broader investigation into human rights conditions in Iran. The mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and is composed of independent experts.