UN experts urge Iran to end 'targeting' of minorities

Geneva: UN rights experts on Thursday urged Iran to end what they called the escalating arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary executions of ethnic minorities.

The Kurdish and Baluch minorities are particularly affected, they said in a statement.

"Iran's ethnic minorities must be able to live in safety and dignity, free from discrimination," the experts said.


In late December, a protest movement initially sparked by the high cost of living rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations.

The UN experts said that since the protests began, the Iranian authorities had reportedly detained thousands of individuals.

"Reports point to a significant increase in arbitrary arrests, and what appears to be politically motivated sentences, including against individuals from ethnic minorities, who are often arrested under broadly defined national security charges," the experts said.

Iranian authorities have attributed the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

The United States and Israel launched a joint attack on the country on February 28, triggering the Middle East war.

Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in the country, linked to both the conflict and the protests.

Last year, Iran put to death over 2,150 people, according to Amnesty International, making it again by a huge margin the world's most prolific executioner after China.

The UN experts said that this year, at least 24 members of the Baluch minority and 22 members of the Kurdish minority have been executed, with many more at imminent risk of being put to death.

Minorities "continue to be targeted during periods of political and social unrest through narratives that portray them as threats to national security", they said.

"The targeting of Kurdish and Baluch minorities extends beyond the country's borders and includes campaigns of threats and surveillance against individuals living abroad," they added.

The experts included Mai Sato, the special rapporteur on the rights situation in Iran, and the special rapporteurs on freedom of religion, arbitrary executions, minority issues, judicial independence and freedom of assembly.

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council to report their findings. They do not, therefore, speak on behalf of the United Nations itself.