Iran’s regime has continued to violate the basic human rights of the Iranian people, Amnesty International warned in its latest yearly report on the state of human rights across the world.
The report highlights the alarming persecution of protesters; abuses against women, ethnic, and religious minorities; torture and ill-treatment of prisoners; and the widespread use of death penalty, “including as a weapon of repression.” Amnesty also warned that regime officials continue to enjoy impunity for their involvement in past crimes, including the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.
In its report, Amnesty noted that Ebrahim Raisi, the regime’s new president, was a key player in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s. “The former head of Iran’s judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, rose to the presidency in June instead of being investigated for crimes against humanity related to the mass enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of 1988, reflecting systemic impunity in Iran,” the report states.
The ongoing human rights abuses in Iran have also caused alarm across the international community. Earlier in March, the UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Iran.
Amnesty voiced concern over the regime’s intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression, association, and assembly, including its stepped-up efforts to block access to internet services and secure messaging applications.
In its report, Amnesty highlighted the unfair prosecution, detention, and interrogation of “several thousand men, women and children” who have been “exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.” Among them are several family members of the victims of the 1988 massacre, who have been demanding justice and truth for the criminal execution of their loved ones.
“Hundreds remained unjustly imprisoned at the end of the year,” Amnesty wrote.
The report also raised alarm about the use of unlawful force and live ammunition against peaceful protests, including the demonstrations of Baluch people over the killing of fuel porters and protests over water shortages in Isfahan.
The inhumane conditions in Iran’s prisons are also highlighted in Amnesty International’s report, including the torture and ill-treatment of inmates.
“Torture-tainted ‘confessions’ were broadcast on state television and consistently used to issue convictions,” the report wrote, referring to the regime’s known method of extracting confessions through torture.
The report also highlighted the regime’s method of pressurizing prisoners by denying them access to basic facilities and healthcare.
“At least 24 prisoners died in suspicious circumstances involving allegations of torture or other ill-treatment, including the denial of adequate medical care,” according to the report.
Amnesty International also expressed alarm over systematic discrimination against women in Iran, including legislation that legitimize and condone violence against women.
Also concerning are the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, Amnesty warned. “Ethnic minorities remained disproportionately affected by death sentences imposed for vague charges such as ‘enmity against God,’” the report stated.
