A/HRC/28/70 3. Aspects of laws, policies and practices identified previously by the United Nations human rights mechanisms, as well as those identified in the present report, continue to undermine the Government’s capacity to improve human rights conditions. The use of capital and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment persists at alarming rates. Of particular concern is the frequent application of the death penalty for crimes not considered “most serious” under international human rights law, and the persistence of policies and practices previously identified by United Nations human rights mechanisms as posing challenges to the administration of justice. 4. A number of draft laws and policies that appear to further negate human rights guaranteed by national and international laws are either currently under consideration or have been adopted since March 2014. These include provisions that appear to expand government influence over the media, civil society, political organizations and the legal community. Policies that further limit economic opportunities for women and that segregate them in the workplace are currently under consideration or being implemented. 5. The resulting adverse effects of laws and practices can be observed in reports that continued to emanate from the country in 2014 about the ongoing arrests of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and religious and ethnic minorities, and in open letters and confidential communications on torture and violations of fair trial standards. Closures of media outlets and severe limitations on the Internet and social media also continue. II. Methodology 6. Information for the present report was gathered during a fact-finding mission to Denmark, Germany and Norway, during which 39 interviews were conducted with victims and activists within the Iranian diaspora. The Special Rapporteur wishes to extend his gratitude to the Governments of all three countries for hosting his visits. Another 28 interviews were conducted, between July 2014 and January 2015, with Iranians located inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and elsewhere. 7. The Special Rapporteur also reviewed information contained in open letters, confidential communications, news reports and broadcasts produced by domestic media outlets in the country, official statements, information relayed in Government responses to inquiries made by special procedure mandate holders, national and civil society stakeholder reports submitted for the country’s first and second universal periodic reviews and reports submitted to the Special Rapporteur by credible human rights organizations. He also examined the content of various pieces of draft legislation currently under consideration. III. Cooperation with the mandate holder 8. In 2014, 29 communications were transmitted by special procedures to the Government, including 27 under the urgent action procedure expressing concerns regarding torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, persecution of religious minorities, and reprisals against individuals for alleged contact with United Nations human rights officials on issues relating to freedom of expression and assembly and detention conditions, including detainees’ insufficient access to medical care. The Government responded to five of the communications, reducing its rate of reply from 40 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent in 2014. 9. The Special Rapporteur expresses thanks to the Government for arranging meetings with visiting delegations in Geneva, including a meeting in September 2014 with representatives from the judiciary, the High Council for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and for providing detailed comments on his latest report to the General Assembly (A/69/356). 4