A/HRC/43/61 serious infection that could have been avoided had he remained hospitalized. He has reportedly been denied appropriate treatment repeatedly since, both for his cancer and for the infection, and his arm is now discoloured and immobile. There is also evidence of unnecessary use of force, such as the use of handcuffs and leg shackles, on political prisoners while they are receiving medical treatment in hospital. The Nelson Mandela Rules, in particular rules 47 and 48, prohibit the use of chains, irons or other instruments of restraint that are inherently degrading or painful. IV. Conclusions and recommendations A. Human rights situation 68. The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government, the judiciary and the parliament: (a) Undertake prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all acts of violence that have taken place in the context of the November 2019 protests, including deaths of protesters and reported deaths in custody, and into reports of illtreatment, and to hold those responsible accountable; (b) Ensure that all those arrested, including those arrested during the November 2019 protests, for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, assembly and association are released, and ensure also that the detaining authorities promptly report the whereabouts and situation of detainees to their families; (c) Take all measures necessary to mitigate the effects of economic sanctions, meet the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including on the protection of vulnerable groups, and establish transparent financial mechanisms to ensure that trade in medicines and other essential humanitarian items continues; (d) Pending its abolishment, remove the death penalty as punishment for all offences other than the most serious crimes, which involve intentional killing, and ensure that all individuals sentenced to death for offences other than intentional killing have their sentences commuted; (e) Ensure that prisoners and detainees are protected from all forms of torture and ill-treatment and that confessions obtained through torture or illtreatment are never admitted as evidence against the accused; (f) Amend the Islamic Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure that confessions alone are not sufficient for establishing guilt; (g) Ensure that all persons accused of any crime have access to a lawyer of their choosing during all stages of the judicial process, including during the initial investigation and interrogation stage, and are provided with legal aid as needed; (h) Protect the rights of all persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, address all forms of discrimination against them and release all those imprisoned for having exercised their right to freedom of religion or belief; (i) Ensure that lethal force is used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life, in accordance with principle 9 of the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, and that everyone is allowed to participate in lawful and peaceful assemblies, in accordance with article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; (j) Ensure that human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists, are not threatened with or subjected to intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, deprivation of liberty or other arbitrary sanction, and release all those detained in connection with their work; 19