{"id":3291,"date":"2026-11-01T10:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T10:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/?p=3291"},"modified":"2026-11-01T10:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T10:14:13","slug":"human-rights-situation-in-iran-in-mai-satos-latest-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/human-rights-situation-in-iran-in-mai-satos-latest-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Rights Situation in Iran in Mai Sato\u2019s Latest Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, has examined the period from January to July 2026 in her latest report. She describes this period as one of the most difficult times in the lives of the Iranian people in recent years. According to her, people faced two major crises simultaneously during these months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first crisis was the widespread domestic repression following the January 2026 protests. The second was the war between the Islamic Republic of Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other. Sato believes these two crises were not separate from one another. Each intensified the effects of the other, placing an enormous burden on the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of her report, the Special Rapporteur points out that it reflects only part of the reality. Widespread internet and communications shutdowns have made collecting and transmitting information extremely difficult. Many witnesses have also refused to cooperate with human rights organizations out of fear of security-related repercussions. Therefore, the actual scale of events is likely much greater than what is documented in the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, thousands of people lost their lives during this period. Some were killed in foreign military attacks, while others fell victim to actions by the Iranian government. According to official figures published up to March 2026, more than 3,000 people were killed in military attacks. At least 1,574 of them were civilians, including 236 children. The war also displaced millions of people within the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sato specifically refers to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab. She writes that there is no indication that the school was being used for military purposes. The Special Rapporteur endorses the findings of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission, which considered the attack on this school and several other civilian targets potential war crimes. The report also refers to attacks on southern regions of the country, water resources, vital facilities, and infrastructure essential to people’s livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A significant part of the report is devoted to the January 2026 protests. According to Sato, there are numerous reports of widespread and lethal use of force by security forces against protesters. The death toll from this crackdown runs into the thousands, although there are disagreements over the exact figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Special Rapporteur also endorses the conclusions of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission in this regard. According to the Mission, many of the violations committed may constitute crimes against humanity. Murder, arbitrary detention, torture, and other inhumane acts are among these violations. The suffering of victims’ families has not ended with the deaths of their loved ones. These families continue to face pressure and threats from government institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executions constitute another major focus of the report. Sato writes that executions continued even during the war. At least 25 people have been executed in connection with the protests, and several of these executions were carried out in public. The law intensifying penalties for espionage and cooperation with hostile states has also become a tool for issuing some of these sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, protest-related executions account for only a small proportion of all executions. Most recorded executions were related to drug offenses or qisas (retribution in kind). The report expresses concern over the execution of individuals who were under the age of 18. The disproportionate representation of Kurds, Baluchis, and certain Afghan nationals among those executed has also drawn the Special Rapporteur’s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also documents a widespread wave of arrests. Between February and April 2026, more than 4,000 people were arrested. Civil activists, journalists, lawyers, teachers, artists, national and religious minorities, and even children are among those detained. According to Sato, the government has responded to the exercise of freedom of expression with security-related charges and accused critics of collaborating with the United States or Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation regarding fair trials has also deteriorated severely. Defendants face restrictions on their choice of lawyers, and court hearings are frequently held behind closed doors. Verdicts are not made public, and confessions obtained under pressure are used in court. Mass trials have also become increasingly common. In the case involving Ali Khani Square in Isfahan, dozens of defendants were tried in an extremely short period, and several were sentenced to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report describes prison conditions as deeply alarming. Prisons are severely overcrowded, and inmates suffer from food shortages. Safe drinking water is unavailable, and adequate sanitation facilities are lacking. Diseases have spread throughout prisons, while medication is scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, security forces have responded to prisoners’ protests with violence and even gunfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civic space has also become increasingly restricted during this period. Sato speaks of mounting pressure on human rights defenders, environmental activists, journalists, writers, artists, teachers, and lawyers. Many of these individuals have been arrested or forcibly disappeared, while others have been put on trial and handed lengthy sentences. According to the report, at least 32 lawyers have faced prosecution solely because of their professional activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also addresses the deterioration of people’s economic and living conditions. The cost of living has increased, and the value of the national currency has collapsed. Sanctions, war, internet shutdowns, and certain domestic policies have placed additional pressure on households. Informal workers and low-income groups have suffered the most. The cost of a household’s basic living basket has now reached approximately 70 million tomans per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women have been disproportionately affected under these circumstances. Many have lost their online employment opportunities as a result of internet shutdowns. Domestic violence has increased, while compulsory hijab policies remain in force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war has also had severe environmental consequences. Attacks on oil facilities, petrochemical plants, power stations, and desalination plants have caused widespread contamination of the air, water, and soil. Vulnerable provinces such as Khuzestan, Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan have been more severely affected by this pollution than other regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the conclusion of her report, Mai Sato addresses demands to both sides of the conflict. She calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to conduct independent and impartial investigations into suspicious deaths, massacres, arrests, and other human rights violations. She also calls on the United States and Israel to halt their military attacks. According to her, both countries must conduct transparent and effective investigations into attacks on civilian targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the report presents a picture of a multifaceted crisis. War, political repression, economic collapse, and environmental destruction have unfolded simultaneously. Each of these factors would place an enormous burden on a society on its own, but their combined impact has made life extremely difficult for millions of Iranians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[33,24,10,18,204,30,8,205],"post_badge":[50,49,59],"class_list":["post-3291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-quote","tag-abroad-committee-of-the-communist-party-of-iran","tag-communist-party-of-iran","tag-cpi","tag-daily-quote","tag-human-rights","tag-iran","tag-komala","tag-sato","post_badge-analysis","post_badge-opinion","post_badge-special-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3293,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3291\/revisions\/3293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3291"},{"taxonomy":"post_badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpiran.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_badge?post=3291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}