UN Conference Addresses Human Rights Violations and Executions in Iran

A conference held at the UN European Headquarters on March 13, 2025, spotlighted Iran’s rising human rights violations, particularly executions. Prominent speakers, including legal experts and activists, advocated for international accountability and intervention, linking current repression to historical atrocities, notably the 1988 massacre. They collectively called for stronger measures to address these human rights abuses and support victims’ families.

On March 13, 2025, a conference addressing the escalating human rights violations in Iran, particularly the rise in executions, was convened at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, coinciding with the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event brought together political figures, legal experts, former political prisoners, and families of victims, emphasizing the urgent need for systematic change and accountability from the Iranian regime.

Prominent speakers highlighted the necessity for international action against the Iranian government, particularly regarding the 1988 massacre, which claimed the lives of approximately 30,000 political prisoners.

Some of the key speakers included Kirsty Brimelow, former Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar of England and Wales; Claude Nicati, former Deputy Attorney General of Switzerland; Senator Roberto Rampi from Italy; and Sahar Sanaii, a women’s rights advocate. Each speaker brought significant insights into the dire human rights situation in Iran and called for a unified response from the international community.

Mojgan Joulaee opened the conference by stating the dire increase in executions in Iran and urging for collaborative international efforts to secure justice for the victims and their families. Kirsty Brimelow followed, denoting the 1988 massacre as a gross assault on civilians, violating international treaties to which Iran is a signatory.

Brimelow also referenced reports confirming the extrajudicial nature of recent executions, lamenting the lack of accountability for those responsible, many of whom occupy high-ranking positions in the Iranian government. She advocated for the collection of evidence to facilitate future legal actions against these perpetrators.

Claude Nicati spotlighted the assassination of Dr. Kazem Rajavi, a human rights lawyer, in Geneva, warning that without accountability for such historical crimes, the Iranian regime would persist in its execution policies.

Sahar Sanaii drew attention to the regime’s pervasive violence against women, noting that Iran has one of the highest female execution rates globally. She emphasized the importance of supporting Iranian women in their quest for rights and freedom.

Senator Rampi condemned Iran’s practice of state hostage-taking, referencing multiple cases of detainees leveraged for governmental concessions. He cautioned that such leniency towards Iran had enabled continuous human rights abuses and state-sponsored terrorism.

Behrooz Maqsoudi shared his personal experiences of loss, detailing the execution of his uncles during the 1980s. He underscored the importance of advocacy campaigns aimed at combating executions, highlighting the resilience of voices within Iranian prisons.

The conference’s concluding speaker, Behzad Naziri, connected the plight of political prisoners today with the historical 1988 executions, urging the international community to extend the UN Special Rapporteur’s investigatory mandate into Iran’s human rights abuses. The assembly collectively called for robust international measures to ensure accountability, stressing that without intervention, human rights violations in Iran would persist unabated.

The conference at the UN European Headquarters served as a crucial platform to address Iran’s dire human rights situation, particularly the alarming rate of executions. Distinguished speakers collectively emphasized the necessity for international accountability and intervention to combat these ongoing violations. The urgent calls from various experts and advocates illustrated a unified demand for action against the Iranian regime, advocating for justice and support for victims and their families.

Original Source: www.ncr-iran.org