A/HRC/43/20 E. Situation of minorities 40. The Government consistently indicates that fundamental rights are recognized for all Iranian citizens regardless of ethnic and religious affiliation, in compliance with articles 13, 19 and 20 of the Constitution. OHCHR has received reports describing discrimination faced by members of ethnic and religious minorities, in particular those minorities that are not recognized under the Constitution. Members of minorities continued to be subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention for engaging in peaceful advocacy for their rights and to arbitrary deprivation of life, with a disproportionate number of executions on national security-related charges affecting them.70 In its comments on the present report, the Government objected to the use of the term “minorities”, noting that it did not reflect the ancient, multi-ethnic nature of Iranian society. The Government affirmed that it ensures the rights of all Iranians and that the attribution of criminal offending is not related to a person’s ethnic or religious background. 41. Kurds charged with national security offences represent nearly half of all political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with 352 Kurds reportedly arrested in the first eight months of 2019. Between 1 January and 31 August 2019, 37 Kurds were executed and 4 were sentenced to death. Between January and the end of May 2019, 82 Azerbaijani-Turk activists were reportedly arrested and sentenced to imprisonment and, in some cases, exiled for several years. In June 2019, an Ahwazi Arab man reportedly died in custody under unknown circumstances, among broader allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Ahwazi Arabs in detention. OHCHR also continued to receive reports of the arrest, detention and sentencing of Baha’is on national security-related charges, with sentences ranging from 1 to 10 years’ imprisonment. 42. Discriminatory practices with respect to employment, education and access to other basic services also continued to affect the rights of minorities. A government directive issued in May 2019 banned individuals from religious minorities from teaching in kindergartens other than those operated by religious minorities. Baha’i business owners also continued to struggle with discriminatory procedures and practices in starting and operating businesses, including forced closures of businesses. Baha’i students face challenges in gaining access to education, with consistent reports of applicants to universities being rejected on the basis of their faith. In September 2019, the Minister of Education publicly declared that students indicating an affiliation with an unrecognized religion could be banned from school for spreading propaganda. 71 In its comments on the present report, the Government noted its commitment to respecting the rights of the Baha’is and underlined their active participation in the economy and prosperity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 43. The Azerbaijani-Turk community continued to voice concerns about the lack of mother-tongue education,72 which also affected other minorities, including the Kurds and Ahwazi Arabs. The Government rejected the allegations, indicating that, under article 15 of the Constitution, the use and teaching of local languages was authorized. OHCHR received reports of the arbitrary arrest of Zahra Mohammadi on 23 May 2019. She is reportedly being held in Sanandaj Prison. Although some reports indicate that her arrest was linked to her teaching of the Kurdish language, the Government rejected the allegations and indicated that she was accused of cooperating with illegal opposition parties. She has reportedly only had access to a lawyer once, and the amount for her bail was arbitrarily increased. The authorities allegedly pressured her to provide a false confession during interrogations and attempted to hold her trial without notifying her lawyers or family. 70 71 72 A/74/188, para. 29. See www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2019/10/08/in-iran-religious-minority-children-are-to-staysilent-if-they-want-to-study/; and www.ion.ir/news/499983/ (in Farsi). www.irna.ir/news/83404283/ (in Farsi). 11