Halting Executions and Repression in Iran

In a statement released on May 29, 2021, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk strongly condemned the wave of repression of protests, widespread human rights violations, and the increase in executions in Iran. At the same time, UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato also issued a message on X-Net, supporting these positions and warning of the escalating human rights crisis in Iran.

Both UN human rights officials have emphasized the Iranian government’s repeated use of vague security charges to silence dissent, issuing death sentences based on forced confessions under torture, and the systematic repression of ethnic and religious minorities.

Volker Türk announced that at least 21 executions have been officially announced by the government since the beginning of the conflict. He emphasized that the use of the death penalty, especially in the context of political protests and social unrest, is a clear violation of Iran’s international obligations and must be stopped immediately.

He also referred to the widespread arrests, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the atmosphere of repression prevailing in the country, saying: “The rights of the Iranian people continue to be denied by the government in brutal and brutal ways.” He added: “During the war, human rights violations and threats have increased exponentially.”

Consecutive armed attacks in the cities of Rask and Zahedan on repressive forces.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for an immediate halt to all executions, stating: “I call on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to halt all executions” and “suspend the use of the death penalty, fully guarantee due process and fair trial guarantees, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.”

According to the organization, in the past two months, since the joint Israeli and US attacks on Iran began, at least nine people have been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests, 10 on charges of membership in opposition groups (the People’s Mujahedin), and two on charges of espionage. 

Volker Türk also warned that the prolonged internet shutdown, which he described as the longest in recorded history, lasting 61 days, had raised serious concerns about the true extent of the repression and executions. He stressed that the measure had caused widespread economic damage, disrupted education and health services, deprived the population of vital information during the conflict, and given the government a complete monopoly on the official narrative Mai Sato had also previously warned that the internet shutdown had become a tool of repression and had prevented the true extent of the killings, executions, and human rights violations from being revealed. He believed that the true number of victims could be far higher than the official figures.

Elsewhere in the statement, the critical situation in prisons and political detainees was highlighted. Severe overcrowding, shortages of food, water, medicine, sanitation facilities, and denial of medical care were among the issues raised.

 In Chabahar prison, prisoners’ protests against the suspension of food distribution were met with severe violence, resulting in at least five prisoners being killed and 21 injured. Two other prisoners in another prison were also reported to have died from the effects of torture.

 Mai Sato has also repeatedly stressed the need for transparency regarding the fate of detainees, the prevention of enforced disappearances, and the immediate release of arbitrarily detained prisoners

The issue of confiscation of citizens’ assets has also been raised. Iranian authorities have confiscated the assets of hundreds of citizens, including around 400 Iranians living abroad, including artists, athletes, journalists, and managers, calling them “traitors to the homeland.” This move has been strongly criticized by human rights organizations as an example of cross-border repression.

Volker Türk and Mai Sato have jointly called on the Iranian government to immediately halt executions and implement a moratorium on the death penalty, release all arbitrarily detained individuals, restore full access to the internet without delay, and provide fair trial guarantees and access to lawyers for all prisoners.