A/HRC/40/67 I. Introduction 1. The present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 37/30, is divided into two parts. The first part describes a number of pressing human rights concerns in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The second part examines the execution of individuals who were children (persons below 18 years of age1) at the time of the alleged commission of the relevant offence (hereinafter referred to as “child offenders”2) in the country. 2. Since his appointment, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has met with numerous victims of alleged violations, relatives of victims, human rights defenders, lawyers, and representatives of civil society organizations, including in Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Special Rapporteur travelled to Geneva and to New York to present his most recent report3 to the General Assembly. During these missions, he met with representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations and other interlocutors. The Special Rapporteur has reviewed written submissions and information submitted, and government statements and reports, legislation, media reports, and reports of international human rights mechanisms. The Government has provided comments on the Special Rapporteur’s reports. The Special Rapporteur thanks all interlocutors and officials for the cooperation extended and information submitted. 3. In 2018, special procedures of the Human Rights Council issued 14 communications, 3 of which were replied to by the Government. In order to further engagement, the Special Rapporteur reiterates his request to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran. II. Human rights situation 4. The current human rights situation has been characterized by the Government’s response to increasing economic challenges, sanctions, and long-standing human rights concerns. Widespread protests in December 2017 and January 2018 morphed into disparate protests driven by falling living standards, high inflation, perceived misallocation of public funds, delays in the payment of salaries, and challenges in accessing water, among other issues. The reimposition of sanctions heightened tensions. 5. The Special Rapporteur is disturbed by indications of an increasingly severe response to the protests, amidst patterns of violations of the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to a fair trial. An increasing number of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and labour activists are being arrested or harassed. The Head of the Judiciary publicly described the protests as “sedition” aimed at “dragging people to the streets to target the very foundation of the Islamic Republic”.4 A. Right to life 6. The Special Rapporteur remains concerned at the extensive use of the death penalty, despite positive developments. From January to October 2018, 207 persons were reportedly executed, in comparison to 437 for the same period in 2017. 5 The decline largely resulted from an amendment to the drug trafficking law in November 2017, which reduced executions related to drug offences. As a result, punishments for certain drug offences were retroactively amended from the death penalty or life imprisonment to a maximum prison term of 30 years. The quantity of drugs required for a death sentence to be imposed was also increased. 1 2 3 4 5 2 The Committee on the Rights of the Child has consistently recommended that States make necessary legal amendments to establish the definition of the child as persons below the age of 18 years. See CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, para. 28. This terminology is in line with Committee on the Rights of the Child general comment No. 10 (2007) on children’s rights in juvenile justice. See A/73/398. See www.mizanonline.com/fa/news/472402. See https://iranhr.net/en/articles/3514/.