At the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, presented her first comprehensive report on the country’s deteriorating human rights situation. The findings, outline a pattern of systematic repression and abuse. Sato’s report identifies an alarming rise in executions, an intensification of political repression, and widespread violence against women, alongside discrimination against minorities and the deliberate mistreatment of prisoners. Forced confessions, torture, and sexual abuse of detainees are cited as major concerns, amounting in some cases to crimes against humanity. She describes Iran’s justice system as one that “weaponises fear” to maintain power and silence dissent.
One of the report’s central themes is transnational repression, where Iranian authorities target exiled activists by threatening or detaining their relatives inside the country. Sato characterises this as “familial hostage-taking” — a strategy that extends the regime’s coercive control across borders and violates fundamental human rights. Her report also documents mysterious deaths in custody, the killing of kulbars (border porters), and systemic bias against ethnic and religious minorities, particularly in border regions. Sato explains that such work is not voluntary but a desperate response to economic deprivation and exclusion, breaching basic social and economic rights.
A separate section focuses on environmental crises, including droughts and water shortages in Sistan and Baluchistan, which have displaced thousands. Mismanagement, corruption, and diversion of natural resources have deepened the crisis, damaging livelihoods and health. Sato links these man-made disasters to failures in governance that infringe on citizens’ rights to safety and subsistence.
Addressing violence against women, Sato warns of a worsening trend in femicide. Her latest data record at least 179 murders of women in 2024, many linked to forced or child marriages and restrictive legal conditions. She criticises discriminatory laws governing testimony, employment, inheritance, and divorce, which institutionalise gender inequality.
Adding to her remarks, Sara Hossain, Chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, presented evidence of torture and sexual abuse of female prisoners, describing some incidents as crimes against humanity. Both experts urged immediate reforms, protection for victims, and accountability for perpetrators. The report has prompted international concern, with diplomats and human-rights organisations calling for coordinated global action to end gender-based violence, halt executions, and investigate abuses under UN mandates. As Sato concluded, “truth demands action” — and her findings are expected to intensify diplomatic pressure on Tehran in the weeks ahead.
