General situation addressed

Cases
Case status
Unknown
Location of case in SG report
2022-031-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2022
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 32.427908

Longitude: 53.688046

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Iran
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Country
  • UN (Dep.) High Commissioner on Human Rights
  • UN General Assembly
Dates of prior UN action
10 January 2022, 13 January 2022, 7 March 2022
Type of record
General situation addressed
Gender
Gender unclear
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

civil society, including victims of human rights violations and their family members

Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

civil society, including victims of human rights violations and their family members attempting to cooperate with the UN

Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Submission of information to UN
  • UN raised case of person/organization
  • Unclear
Reprisal information
  1. Multiple United Nations actors raised concerns about an increased use of violence against civil society actors, including in particular excessive use of force in the context of peaceful demonstrations and the widespread, systematic and continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers following unfair trials and long prison sentences on broad national security-related charges. They also expressed concerns about legislative developments in connection with increased surveillance and privacy risks. Reportedly, this environment has intensified the fear of reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations among civil society, including victims of human rights violations and their family members, preventing them from engaging with the United Nations and human rights mechanisms.
  2. In his 2022 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran raised concerns about “the high risk of reprisals that individuals and organizations face for engaging with international human rights mechanisms […] and called on the Government to open the space for engagement, particularly with domestic actors and civil society.
  3. According to information received by OHCHR during the reporting period, some families of victims of human rights violations were allegedly warned by the authorities against raising their cases publicly, including with the United Nations. Allegedly, on at least two occasions, the families of victims of human rights violations were evicted from their homes due to pressure from the authorities on their landlord following their public and United Nations’ engagement on their relative’s case. During the reporting period, individuals and their families expressed reluctance about or declined United Nations action on their cases due to fear of further reprisals. Names and details of individuals concerned are withheld for fear of further reprisals.
  4. On 10 January 2022, the General Assembly in resolution 76/178 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran called upon Iran “to release persons detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms […] and to end reprisals against human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and their families, journalists and media workers covering the protests and individuals who cooperate or attempt to cooperate with the United Nations human rights mechanisms”.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Surveillance
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
Yes
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
Yes
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
0