Annual Analytical and Statistical Report on Human Rights in Iran for the year ²⁰²⁴

Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), through the dedicated efforts of its Department of Statistics and Publications, publishes its annual Gregorian calendar-based analytical and statistical report on the human rights situation in Iran for the one-year period (January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025). This report is the culmination of the organization’s daily endeavors in recent years, forming part of a daily statistical project that began in 2009. It provides an analytical-statistical overview of human rights in Iran.

This annual report on human rights violations in Iran represents a synthesis of 9,487 human rights reports, gathered from 116 NGOs and news sources within the past calendar year. HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency) contributed 38.91% of the reports utilized in this publication, with 26.63% originating from official or government-affiliated Iranian sources, and the remaining 34.47% from other news or human rights sources.

Click on the image to download the full version of the report.

In this 86-page report, various aspects such as women’s rights, workers’ rights, children’s rights, prisoners’ rights, etc., are briefly examined and statistically analyzed, accompanied by relevant charts for enhanced reader comprehension. According to this report, the focus of human rights monitoring in Iran, in comparison between the capital and other areas, remains unequal. This long-standing inequality shows that in the last year, reporting from non-central areas has decreased by 8.8% compared to the capital. This situation continues to indicate the lack of adequate monitoring of other areas of the country relative to the center by civil society.

Although this report predominantly reflects the extensive efforts of courageous human rights defenders in Iran, who bear significant costs in pursuit of their humanitarian ideals, it inevitably has limitations. These include restrictions on the activities of human rights organizations by the Iranian government and governmental impediments to the free flow of information. Consequently, while this report strives for accuracy, it cannot be considered entirely error-free or a complete reflection of the human rights situation in Iran. Nevertheless, it stands as one of the most precise, comprehensive, and well-documented reports on human rights violations in Iran, offering valuable insights for organizations and defenders of human rights to better understand the human rights situation in Iran, its challenges, and potential opportunities.

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Introducing the PDP: An Unprecedented Resource on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has long been a shadowy force, with its operations largely hidden from the international community. Its influence on Iran and the broader Middle East has been both profound and destructive. Now, after two years of intensive research, the Pasdaran Documentation Project (PDP) is launching an unparalleled resource that seeks to bring transparency to the IRGC’s activities. This project marks the culmination of extensive work involving thousands of documents and the identification of key IRGC units and personnel alongside a legal analysis of incidents attributed.

Available at www.iranpdp.org, this database provides unprecedented access to detailed information on the IRGC.

Origins and Purpose

Founded by Human Rights Activists (HRA), the Pasdaran Documentation Project was established to shed light on the structure, operations, and influence of the IRGC—a state within a state in Iran. The IRGC’s activities have not only shaped Iran’s political landscape but also contributed to widespread human rights abuses and violations of international law.

The project’s core objective is to identify the IRGC’s personnel, units, and key players as a step toward dismantling the regime’s power structure. By exposing the individuals and entities involved in abuses across decades, the project helps create a roadmap for judicial and quasi-judicial accountability, including international targeted sanctions, and state-led prosecution under international law.

The project’s underlying philosophy stems from the belief that public awareness—and open-source accessibility to underlying information—is the key to change. For decades, the IRGC has operated behind a veil of propaganda, with many Iranians and global observers unaware of its extensive illicit activity. This project intends to break this cycle by offering transparent, accessible, and meticulously researched information on the IRGC’s structure and activity.

Research Methods and Technological Innovation: NALA

In the project’s first phase, the structure and chain of command were created through an in-depth analysis of books derived from Iran, first-hand accounts, open-source data, and more. This comprehensive research would not have been possible without a pioneering technological solution developed by HRA.

HRA has designed an innovative software called NALA, a multilingual research facilitation tool specifically created to enhance data analysis and streamline content discovery. NALA processes data in multiple languages, identifies key themes using custom keyword lists, and retrieves relevant material with precision. Its advanced filtering system minimizes errors and saves time, making it an indispensable tool with sustainable applications that extend far beyond its original purpose. The integration of NALA into the PDP has enabled a level of depth, accuracy, and efficiency that would otherwise be unattainable.

The Importance of Identifying the IRGC

Understanding the IRGC is critical not only for those directly affected by its actions but also for the global human rights community. The IRGC was established in 1979 to protect and export Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Over time, it has morphed into a militarized and economic juggernaut with unparalleled influence over Iranian politics, military actions, and regional affairs. Its tentacles reach far beyond Iran’s borders, impacting conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen and extending its ideological and military support to Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

What makes the IRGC particularly dangerous is its multifaceted approach to control—using both brute force through its military wing, the Quds Force, and soft power through an intricate web of economic, political, and media influence. It has committed or facilitated endless human rights violations, including torture, unlawful detention, extrajudicial killings, and the repression of political dissent.

The Pasdaran Documentation Project’s Capabilities and Tools

At the heart of the Pasdaran Documentation Project is its public-facing website, a powerful tool that offers an in-depth look into the IRGC’s operations. This online database will be the first of its kind, providing easily accessible and verifiable data on the IRGC, including:

  • Detailed Profiles of IRGC Units and Personnel: The PDP has compiled over 90,000 profiles on the IRGC’s units and personnel, ranging from high-ranking commanders to mid-level operatives. These profiles outline the responsibilities, activities, and, when available and thoroughly investigated by our legal team, crimes committed by each unit or individual. Researchers, journalists, policymakers, and legal experts can use this data to track the IRGC’s operations across various domains. At the website’s initial launch, many profiles remain partially complete and will be filled with detailed information over time.
  • Dynamic Charts: One of the most unique features of the PDP website is its interactive tools, which visually represent the IRGC’s chain of command from 1979 to the present.
  • Searchable Databases: The website offers a powerful search function, enabling users to filter data by region, type of activity, or individual names or units. This allows for targeted research into specific members or units of the IRGC.
  • Human Rights Violations and Violations of International Law: The PDP has recorded a range of human rights violations attributed to the IRGC, including incidents of torture, unlawful detentions, forced confessions, and more. This section also covers the IRGC’s role in suppressing civil unrest, particularly during the 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2022-23 protests, during which numerous civilians were killed or arbitrarily detained. At the website’s initial launch, the PDP had documented at least 100 individual incidents, which are currently under review and available for public examination. Twelve of these incidents have been fully reviewed in accordance with human rights and international law.
  • Partnerships and Collaborations: HRA has collaborated with international criminal lawyers and other civil society organizations ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data. These partnerships also enable HRA to present strategic reports on legal accountability pathways, presenting potential avenues for bringing IRGC members to justice in several emblematic circumstances. These publications are forthcoming.

Why This Project Matters: Objectives and Broader Impacts

The Pasdaran Documentation Project is more than just an archive—it is a living resource designed to empower activists, policymakers, and legal experts. By providing open access to verifiable data, the PDP will serve as a cornerstone for human rights advocacy and lay the groundwork for initiating investigations into the IRGC and its members for future prosecutions.

More to Come

The Pasdaran Documentation Project is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand or challenge the IRGC’s power. HRA encourages human rights activists, legal experts, and policymakers to explore the website, use its tools, and help shine a light on the IRGC’s activities. By working together, we can build a future where the IRGC’s influence is curbed, and justice is served.

For media inquiries, detailed reports, or additional information, please contact us at [email protected]. The PDP team is available for interviews, in-depth briefings on methodology and contents unveiled, and to assist in the preparation of news reports and background understanding regarding the IRGC.

This is just the beginning. The work of exposing the truth and ensuring justice continues as PDP is updated daily with new information.

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HRA’s Ongoing Contributions to Targeted Sanctions Against Iranians Involved in Human Rights Violations

As November marks Magnitsky Month, advocates worldwide are intensifying efforts to leverage targeted sanctions against individuals involved in serious human rights abuses. For Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), this month serves as a crucial reminder of the impact that coordinated, targeted sanctions can have on the accountability gap. HRA’s work—across multiple projects dedicated to documenting abuses in Iran—has played a significant role in securing over 70 designations of Iranian individuals and entities involved in these violations across five jurisdictions.

Through its news arm, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), HRA sheds light on abuses otherwise hidden from the global view. Spreading Justice provides a comprehensive–open source– database of individuals complicit in human rights violations, making it a vital resource for policymakers and advocates seeking to connect systemic abuses to those directly responsible. Furthermore, HRA’s newest endeavor, the Pasdaran Documentation Project (PDP), has documented the extensive structure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). To date, this project has confidentially mapped over 84,000 IRGC units and identified 3,400 personnel, strengthening calls for accountability within one of Iran’s most corrupt and violent organizations.

In a timely visit to London, HRA’s Deputy Director held discussions with key figures to advocate for expanding the impact of Magnitsky-style sanctions on Iranian officials. Among these figures was Sir William Browder, the driving force behind the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, whose work underscores the power of sanctions in deterring human rights abuses globally. Browder’s commitment to securing justice for victims of human rights abuses led to the passage of the original Magnitsky Act, named after Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, who was killed after exposing government corruption. Today, Browder’s influential advocacy continues to inspire nations to adopt Magnitsky-style laws targeting human rights violators, providing a blueprint for holding powerful individuals accountable, when domestic accountability is absent.

Sir William Browder, Skylar Thompson, HRA Deputy Director

International momentum for these sanctions is growing. In a recent debate, UK lawmakers from all major parties expressed strong support for Magnitsky-style sanctions to address Iran’s ongoing human rights abuses. UK Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty reiterated the government’s commitment to responding decisively to Iran’s violations of international law through targeted sanctions.

While in London, HRA engaged with members of the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee, focusing on the need to prioritize accountability for human rights abuses and violations of international law in Iran.

*Emily Thornberry, Chair of UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Skylar Thompson HRA Deputy Director, and Claire Hazelgrove, Labour MP

Additionally, HRA, in collaboration with REDRESS, briefed the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Magnitsky Sanctions and Reparations, chaired by Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith. The briefing explored strategic and coordinated approaches to implementing Magnitsky-style sanctions targeting human rights violations in Iran.

HRA AND REDRESS

The international focus on targeted sanctions, particularly during Magnitsky Month, signals a critical moment for accountability in Iran. HRA’s efforts underscore the urgency of coordinated international action and provide essential support for those seeking to hold Iranian officials accountable for their ongoing abuses.

For more, read “Magnitsky Sanctions are the Precision Tool for Iran’s Crisis of Impunity” published in Just Security and authored by HRA Deputy Director, Skylar Thompson and Natalia Kubesch, Legal Officer at REDRESS.

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Magnitsky-Style Sanctions Are a Precision Measure for Iran’s Crisis of Impunity

Just Security – Following the October 2024 execution of German-Iranian dual citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, Germany responded with decisive diplomatic measures. These included closing Iranian consulates in Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, summoning Iran’s chargé d’affaires, and recalling its ambassador from Tehran for consultations. Meanwhile, Tehran is now denying the execution took place at all.

In the wake of high-profile human rights abuses, immediate responses often focus on prominent diplomatic actions. While these measures signal resolve, they represent only part of what should be a broader strategy.

In Germany’s case, these measures, though significant, fell short of delivering justice to Sharmahd’s family or addressing Iran’s broader pattern of human rights abuses. Diplomatic gestures alone lack the impact of being paired with concrete measures – such as Magnitsky-style sanctions – that directly target individuals responsible for human rights violations. This is especially critical in Iran, where domestic judicial accountability is absent and the very figures charged with upholding justice are often those perpetrating abuses.

Without a comprehensive survivor-centered approach, diplomatic responses risk prioritizing the appearance of accountability over addressing the actual rights and needs of victims and their families. Genuine justice requires moving beyond symbolic gestures to implement tangible, survivor-centered actions that reflect a true commitment to accountability.

Magnitsky-style sanctions provide a principled and practical framework for accountability. At least one individual involved in Sharmahd’s case – Behrouz Hasani-Etemad, Head of Branch 7 of the Security Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Tehran and the prosecutor’s representative during Sharmahd’s trial – could be proposed by Germany for EU Magnitsky-style designations.

With November recognized as “Magnitsky Month,” this is a timely opportunity for governments to recalibrate their strategies and leverage Magnitsky-style sanctions to hold Iranian officials accountable for their ongoing human rights abuses.

Chasing Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Iran

During the twelve months leading up to October 2024, when Sharmahd was executed, Iran carried out over 810 executions, marking the highest annual total in a decade.

The surge included more than 25 women, who are also being sentenced to mandatory psychological care centers and forced labor for defying the country’s revamped enforced hijab laws, which took effect after long legislative delays in September. Meanwhile, courts continue to impose corporal punishment – just last month two brothers were subjected to amputation for theft. In a court document, one brother stated, “I am a thief, but not in the way the police said, they forced me to confess to that number.”

Reports of arbitrary detention, torture, suppression of peaceful protests, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly have become disturbingly routine in Iran. The government’s strict enforcement of restrictive social norms has led to a sharp increase in gender-based violence, particularly against women resisting the regime’s dress codes. Ethnic and religious minorities also continue to endure entrenched discrimination, compounding an already dire human rights crisis. United Nations experts and civil society organizations have found credible evidence that these abuses constitute widespread and systematic crimes, rising to the level of crimes against humanity.

The establishment of a U.N. Fact-Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI) to document these crimes was an important step toward justice. However, its mandate’s inability to take direct action on its findings leaves a critical gap in accountability. To close this gap, States should use all available tools, including Magnitsky-style sanctions, to target those responsible for Iran’s human rights violations, particularly individuals identified by investigative mechanisms like the FFMI.

The Case for Magnitsky-Style Sanctions

Governments such as the United States, United Kingdom, EU, Australia, and Canada, have established Global Magnitsky-style sanctions regimes to target individuals and entities involved in human rights abuses and corruption. Unlike broad-based sanctions that impact entire sectors or populations, Magnitsky-style sanctions focus on specific perpetrators, applying pressure on them without harming the civilian population. These sanctions can be imposed on State actors and individuals, and when coordinated internationally, they offer a powerful mechanism to combat human rights violations globally.

Magnitsky-style sanctions offer several key advantages:

1. Public Accountability: Magnitsky-style sanctions publicly name perpetrators, damaging their international reputation. This serves as both a punishment and a symbolic acknowledgment of victims’ suffering. Survivors and activists in Iran interviewed by Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), where one of us works, have described these sanctions as “a glimmer of hope,” validating their experiences and demonstrating that the international community is taking action. A mother of a student who went missing during nationwide protests in 2022 shared, “Every time such a sanction is imposed, I feel like my child’s disappearance isn’t forgotten – there is a sense of validation.”

In a separate conversation, a former prisoner told HRA, “It feels reassuring.  It’s important to know that these violations aren’t going unnoticed, it also brings forward the realization of how deep-rooted the issues are and we see that when they are named there is shame.”

2. Deterring Human Rights Violations: Magnitsky-style sanctions further directly target the personal and financial interests of perpetrators – freezing assets, blocking access to financial markets, and imposing travel bans. While anecdotal, survivors of human rights abuses in Iran have reported that Magnitsky-style sanctions may have had some deterrent effect. For example, a former detainee, released after Iran’s Supreme Leader ordered an amnesty for “tens of thousands” of prisoners in February 2023, shared with HRA how sanctions changed prison conditions:

“Every time new sanctions were announced the guard’s behavior changed, especially those with lower ranks. (…) We took advantage of this situation and put forward demands such as the provision of some equipment that would not normally be agreed to, but affected by the atmosphere, the officials of [redacted] prison seemed to be afraid and agree to our demands.” This suggests that sanctions can influence lower-ranking officials, potentially deterring further violations.

The individual also suggested that Iran’s decision to pardon a significant number of political prisoners was triggered by international condemnation including strong, coordinated sanctions against Iranian officials involved in the regime’s human rights abuses, noting that: “I even think that our freedom, which took place under the name of amnesty, was also a result of the message of the international community to the Iranian Government with the means of sanctioning and naming human rights violators.” 

3. Disrupting Regime-Backed Corruption and Financial Ecosystems: Additionally, Magnitsky-style sanctions can target the financial structures that sustain oppressive regimes. By designating entities such as front companies and State-owned enterprises operated by regime officials, which facilitate corruption, sanctions can strike at the economic foundations that enable abuses. This approach not only cuts off critical resources but also reinforces the message that those facilitating human rights violations will face accountability. This disruption in tandem also exposes the true nature of these businesses to the Iranian public.

4. Acknowledging Abuses in the Absence of Domestic Accountability: Magnitsky-style sanctions can serve to acknowledge abuses where domestic recognition is absent. In Iran, where human rights abuses are effectively endorsed by the State and the Supreme Leader controls the head of the judiciary, victims have virtually no recourse for justice. Similarly, despite repeated calls from the U.N. and the international community, efforts to halt Iran’s abuses have so far failed. Magnitsky-style sanctions play a critical role in documenting human rights abuses, creating essential records that can support future international legal efforts. The U.S. designations following Mahsa Zhina Amini’s death in detention were groundbreaking examples in this regard, as they were the first to recognize violations against a single female victim publicly.

Evidence of Political Will

International support for Magnitsky-style sanctions targeting perpetrators of human rights abuses in Iran is growing. In the UK, lawmakers from all major parties recently expressed strong support for Magnitsky-style sanctions to hold Iranian officials accountable for the regime’s widespread abuses, including executions, extrajudicial killings, torture, and gender persecution. The UK Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty subsequently reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to using targeted sanctions to address these violations of international law.

In the United States, as Donald Trump prepares to assume office, he has the opportunity to move beyond the “maximum pressure” campaign of his previous term, which caused severe hardship for the Iranian people without changing the Iranian regime’s behavior.

Bipartisan support for Magnitsky-style sanctions on Iran in the United States has remained strong, with the program’s authority only expanding since its inception.

For example, the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability (MAHSA) Act, signed into law in April 2024, mandates sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader, president, and affiliated entities for human rights abuses and support for terrorism. The MAHSA Act also requires the U.S. president to report to Congress annually on the status of these sanctions, making it harder for future administrations to lift them unilaterally. Similarly, in June 2024, following the death sentence of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, U.S. lawmakers introduced the TOOMAJ Act. The legislation aimed to impose targeted sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for the severe human rights abuses committed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Courts, particularly against political prisoners and protesters, utilizing the Global Magnitsky Act’s provisions to target individuals.

However, despite these efforts, gaps remain. While the United States has designated nearly 300 Iranian individuals and entities for human rights abuses, and the United States, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia collectively have sanctioned over 450 Iranian individuals and entities, many of these designations are not coordinated among the sanctioning States. For instance, of those sanctioned, 230 are designated by the United States but not by Canada, 183 by the United States but not the EU, and 151 by the EU but not the United States.

Furthermore, current designations often target high-level figures, while mid-level officials like IRGC interrogator Ali Hemmatian are overlooked. Hemmatian, known for his history of physical abuse against political prisoners in IRGC detention centers, including Evin Prison, where political prisoners are often held, was designated by the United States in 2021. Magnitsky-style sanctions should target officials across all ranks, including lower-ranking security commanders and judicial officials responsible for prosecuting and executing peaceful protestors and innocent civilians. This broader approach would apply pressure throughout the regime’s network, sending a clear message that no matter their positions, perpetrators will face consequences.  As demonstrated in conversations with victims, targeting mid-level perpetrators like Hemmatian can also bring shame and accountability within their communities. However, as of now, Hemmatian is only designated by the United States. Expanding sanctions to target perpetrators across all ranks would enhance their effectiveness and send a stronger message.

Meanwhile, the EU has continued releasing sanctions packages targeting Iranian officials, but designations have solely concerned regional tensions and destabilization.

Since September 2023, the EU has not announced any new sanctions packages specifically targeting Iran’s human rights violations. Meanwhile, multiple sanctions packages have been introduced “in view of Iran’s military support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Addressing human rights violations must remain a standalone priority. While many of the individuals targeted for destabilization designations are also complicit in severe domestic abuses, these efforts should not be conflated. Separate and simultaneous investigations into both areas are not only possible but necessary.

Tackling Iran’s destabilizing activities abroad and holding the regime accountable for its abuses at home are both critical but fundamentally distinct objectives. The EU must ensure that accountability for the regime’s crimes against Iranians is not sidelined in favor of broader geopolitical considerations.

This discrepancy highlights a missed opportunity for the EU to convey a clearer message about Iran’s ongoing rights abuses. It underscores the need for a more consistent approach to integrating human rights considerations into EU foreign policy.

A Path Forward: What Does Effective Implementation Look Like?

For Magnitsky-style sanctions to effectively deter human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable in Iran, States should take several specific steps:

1. Cross-jurisdictional alignment is critical to prevent designated individuals from exploiting legal loopholes. Coordinated action across jurisdictions sends a unified message that impunity for human rights violations in Iran will not be tolerated. As the U.N. has stated: “Sanctions do not operate, succeed, or fail in a vacuum. The measures are most effective […] when applied as part of a comprehensive strategy.” 

2. Designations should be grounded in the experiences of survivors and based on solid evidence of the targeted individual’s involvement in human rights abuses. To maintain credibility, Magnitsky-style sanctions must be used exclusively for human rights violations, not as a fig leaf for unrelated political purposes. They should be transparent, with clear justifications for each designation, while also protecting the safety of those providing information. Engaging with civil society organizations and survivor groups is key to enhancing the legitimacy, precision, and effectiveness of sanctions. These groups possess critical insights into the broader context of abuses and the networks of perpetrators, helping craft targeted sanctions policies that prioritize accountability and deter future violations. By consistently integrating this information into their decision-making processes, States can ensure that sanctions are timely, accurate, and credible.

3. Magnitsky-style sanctions must be seen as fair and impartial, especially in Iran, where concerns about Western double standards persist. Western countries are often criticized for not holding officials from allied States accountable for similar violations, making consistency and transparency in sanctioning even more important. Magnitsky-style sanctions must be consistently grounded in human rights considerations, informed by survivor experiences, and applied impartially to strengthen their credibility. Recognizing known abuses in official statements provides vital recognition for victims and creates a record for further accountability measures beyond sanctions should circumstances permit in the future.

4. Magnitsky-style sanctions cannot be viewed in isolation. While broad country-wide sanctions are intended to target the Iranian regime, they have often exacerbated socio-economic inequality, weakened civil society, and empowered the regime to pursue repressive policies. To maximize the impact of Magnitsky sanctions, broader sanctions must be regularly reviewed to mitigate their negative effects on civilians. Without such a review, Magnitsky sanctions risk being seen as part of an unjust sanctions regime, undermining their credibility and potentially fueling resentment that could weaken support for targeted accountability efforts.

5. Greater alignment is needed between the strong condemnation issued by diplomatic missions in Geneva and New York and the actions (or inactions) of their capitals. While diplomats frequently voice consensus and issue powerful condemnations of Iran’s human rights abuses in multilateral spaces, further action at the country level is often disappointing. Capitals in Europe, the UK, the United States, and Australia have the tools to target individuals and entities responsible for these abuses, but these tools need to be used more consistently, strategically, and in a coordinated manner.

Conclusion

Magnitsky-style sanctions, like any foreign policy tool, should be part of a broader, coordinated strategy to combat impunity for human rights violations in Iran. As one political prisoner in Iran interviewed by HRA put it: “It’s a ray of hope for people like me who suffer under their reign. It may not change things overnight, but it shows us that the world hasn’t turned a blind eye…It symbolizes international recognition of the injustices we face.”

In short, Magnitsky-style sanctions are not just punitive measures – they show global solidarity with Iranian victims and are a step toward holding its oppressive regime accountable both now and in the future.

With over 1,000 individuals and 80 entities implicated in serious human rights violations in Iran, according to credible reports, there is ample opportunity to take decisive, coordinated action against those most responsible.


About the Author(s)

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Iranian journalists who covered Mahsa Amini’s death face five years in prison

The Guardian – Two young female journalists who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini have been cleared of charges of collaborating with the United States government but will still spend up to five more years behind bars, the Iranian authorities have announced.

Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were arrested in 2022 after reporting on the death and funeral of Amini, the young Kurdish woman who died in police custody in 2022, sparking the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom protests.

Hamedi and Mohammadi were initially charged with “collusion and assembly against national security” and “propaganda activity against the regime” and sentenced to 13 and 12 years respectively.

In January they were released from prison after 17 months in detention and their sentences have now been reduced to five years each after a court acquitted them of further charges of “collaboration with the United States”.

On Sunday, an Iranian judicial spokesperson, Asghar Jahangir, said the five-year prison sentences would now be imposed but did not indicate when, meaning that the two women will have to wait to see when the authorities will implement the court ruling.

The families and lawyers representing the two women said they had hoped they would be pardoned and allowed to remain free, after state media reported last year that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei intended to pardon “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including those arrested during the Women, Life, Freedom protests.

Skylar Thompson, director of advocacy at the US-based organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran, said: “The regime’s refusal to grant these journalists the 2023 amnesty represents a blatant disregard for justice.”

A Tehran-based journalist said on condition of anonymity: “We had all hoped that Niloofar and Elaheh are pardoned soon and are shocked by the announcement. We don’t know what will happen next or when, and where they will be taken to.

“Now that they have made this announcement, this in itself is a sentence. They are psychologically torturing them and their families.”

Human rights activists said that two years on, the regime continues to target and punish those who took part in the nationwide protests that followed Amini’s death.

Iran has already executed 10 protesters, including Gholamreza Rasaei, who was hanged in August after being convicted of killing a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to Human Rights Watch, relatives of people killed, executed or imprisoned during the Women, Life, Freedom protests have also been arrested, threatened and harassed by the regime.

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Iran Supreme Court orders retrial of labor activist sentenced to death

JURISTnews – Iran’s Supreme Court ordered a retrial of labor rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi who had been sentenced to death for treason, according to local media that spoke to her lawyer on Saturday. The order lifts her death sentence while she awaits a retrial.

In the Revolutionary Court conviction, her alleged membership in the National Labor Unions Assistance Coordination Committee (LUACC) was included as evidence, even though the LUACC is a legally established independent labor union in Iran. Mohammadi claimed that she had not been a member of the LUACC for 10 years.

Being a member of the International Labor Organization, a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Iran is obliged to guarantee the right to form trade unions and to strike.

Mohammadi was sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht in July 2024. She was first arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in December 2023 and convicted for “armed rebellion against the state” based on allegations that she was a member of the banned Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KPIK). Mohammadi denied allegations that she was ever a member of KPIK.

According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), the Islamic Revolutionary Court uses “national security-related charges to punish and suppress peaceful dissent”. The Revolutionary Court’s jurisdiction under Article 303 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is broad and can include political crimes.

According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), at least 811 people were executed in Iran between October 10, 2023 and October 8, 2024. Inmates in over 20 Iranian prisons have been staging protests, including hunger strikes, against capital punishment for several months.

The Campaign for the Defense of Sharifeh Mohammadi was founded and human rights defenders, Narsrin Sotoudeh and Farhad announced going on hunger strike to urge the revocation of Mohammadi’s death sentence in Oct 2023.

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Joint Statement: Call for Urgent Action as Executions Reach Highest Number in the Last Decade

In a statement released today, ahead of the World Day Against the Death Penalty Human Rights Activists (HRA) and The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABC) condemn the alarming surge in executions in Iran, which have reached their highest level in the last decade—at least 811 reported executions in the past year alone as reported by the organizations.

Iran has long maintained one of the highest execution rates in the world, and in recent years, the use of the death penalty has alarmingly intensified. In 2023, Iran accounted for 75% of all recorded executions globally.

From October 2023 to October 2024, at least 811 executions have been carried out, marking a sharp increase from the previous year and reaching levels not seen in nearly a decade. In August alone, at least 97 executions were reported, 45 of which were for drug-related offenses—charges that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” under international law. This year also marks the highest number of women executed in the past decade, with 23 women being put to death. 

Research consistently demonstrates that the death penalty lacks any measurable deterrent effect on crime rates. The widespread use of the death penalty in Iran is not only a grave violation of the right to life, enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), but is also emblematic of the systemic failures and corruption within the judiciary. The death penalty in Iran is routinely imposed following trials that are marred by serious due process violations, including the use of coerced forced confessions extracted under torture as a primary source of conviction in the majority of cases alongside the regular denial of access to legal representation. The Iranian judiciary, far from being an independent arbiter of justice, has instead become an instrument of state repression, using the death penalty to silence dissent and instill fear among the population.

We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, in line with repeated calls from the United Nations and civil society organizations, and to address the structural flaws within the judiciary that enable these grave violations. 

The international community must hold Iran accountable, call for a moratorium, and support efforts to ensure that justice is not used as a tool of oppression, but as a means to protect and uphold the fundamental rights of all individuals.

 

Signatories

Human Rights Activists (HRA)

Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABC)

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HRA’s Pasdaran Documentation Project (PDP) Looks at Bloody Friday Two Years On

On Friday, 30 September 2022, Zahedan, a city in Sistan and Baluchistan province, witnessed the deadliest incident of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, which came to be known as “Bloody Friday.”

Amid the wider Woman, Life, Freedom movement and growing anger over the sexual assault of a local girl by police, protesters and bystanders were met with lethal force from security personnel, who used tear gas, live ammunition, and metal pellets.

The majority of victims were shot in the head, heart, neck, and torso.

The government claimed that many civilians were killed in the crossfire between attackers and security forces. However, several official reports indicate that footage analysis reveals security forces and plainclothes agents firing indiscriminately from rooftops at a gathering of protesters. 

At least 100 people lost their lives on Bloody Friday, including at least 15 children. 

Kurdish and Baloch citizens witnessed the bloodiest crackdowns during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests: over half of the total number of people killed came from the Baloch and Kurdish provinces, with children from these minority groups comprising 63% of the recorded child victims.

Now, two years after these violent events, no accountability or justice has been delivered for the victims.

With the anniversary upon us, Bloody Friday remains a symbol of broader repression. It not only underscores the Iranian regime’s willingness to use excessive force with impunity but also highlights the systemic marginalization of the Baloch minority, further compounded by economic deprivation, political exclusion, religious discrimination, and cultural repression.

HRA’s Pasdaran Documentation Project (PDP), launching in October, is an unprecedented database that offers the most comprehensive overview to date of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), documenting its structure, chain of command, and human rights and international law violations perpetrated by the IRGC.

In the case of Bloody Friday, through PDP, several breaches have been identified, some of which trigger individual criminal accountability, extending beyond the state’s responsibility under international human rights law.

Types of Violations

Right to Life

Freedom of Assembly and Association

Freedom from Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Right to be Free from Discrimination

Possible International Crimes

Murder as a crime against humanity

Persecution as a crime against humanity, based on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, or gender grounds

Crime against humanity of an inhumane act of a similar character, intentionally causing great suffering

IRGC Involvement 

The PDP database also identifies the specific IRGC units and personnel involved in events that led to severe human rights abuses, such as Bloody Friday. By tracing the individuals responsible for these incidents, the PDP provides a more detailed analysis of atrocities like torture, unlawful killings, and helps attribute direct accountability. During the Zahedan crackdown, where security forces used live ammunition, tear gas, and metal pellets against protesters, several IRGC units were involved, including the Kush County IRGC and the Quds Base Southeast, among others. These forces played a significant role in the violent suppression, firing indiscriminately at civilians and furthering the cycle of repression.

Continued Documentation 

In addition to the analysis conducted by PDP, HRA’s Spreading Justice platform continuously tracks individuals responsible for human rights violations in Iran. This platform has identified key figures involved in the Bloody Friday crackdown:

Hossein Modarres-Khiabani: Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan during the 2022 protests and head of the Provincial Security Council. He labeled the Bloody Friday protesters as terrorists and separatists and was directly involved in ordering and directing serious human rights abuses. He had direct oversight of the Iranian security forces.

Ahmad Taheri: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Sistan and Baluchestan. Like Khiabani, he had direct authority over the security forces that violently responded to the protests.

Mahmoud Saadati: Police Commander of Zahedan, who commanded security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters. On October 27, 2022, he admitted to the negligence of certain officers.

Mohammad Karami: Commander of the IRGC’s Quds Base in the southeastern According to reports from HRA, units under the IRGC Ground Forces, including those under Karami’s command, played a significant role in the suppression of unarmed protesters. Karami labeled the detained protesters as “armed criminals” and promised to air their confessions. One such confession was released just a few hours later.

Ahmad Shafahi: Commander of Salman Revolutionary Guard Corps in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. He had direct control of the IRGC and the Basij during Bloody Friday. He is responsible for violent actions against peaceful protestors, including against children.

Abuzar Mehdi Nakhai: The Governor of Zahedan and the Head of the Security Council. As the governor he was directly responsible for directing security forces in committing brutal acts against protestors 

Zahedan’s Bloody Friday has become a symbol of the broader struggle of the Iranian people against government oppression. The massacre is a stark reminder of the regime’s willingness to use excessive force against its citizens, particularly in marginalized regions like Sistan and Baluchistan. 

Accurate documentation is essential to securing justice and accountability. HRA hopes that our resources and analyses will aid civil society, states, and other stakeholders to pursue and initiate accountability efforts.

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HRA Welcomes Coordinated Action Against Iranian Officials for Human Rights Violations

WASHINGTON D.C. – Human Rights Activists (HRA) welcomes the coordinated actions taken by the United States and its allies to impose targeted sanctions on Iranian officials implicated in human rights violations. These sanctions also specifically target officials in Iranian prison systems who are responsible for human right abuses in prison, including the use of torture and sexual assaults against prisoners, the denial of medical care to political prisoners, the violent suppression of protesters protesting their conditions, and the kidnapping of regime critics abroad. 

This decisive measure underscores a collective commitment to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Iranian people.

Among those sanctioned are individuals with documented records of severe abuses. HRA emphasizes that our initiative, Spreading Justice, is a vital resource in this effort. Through comprehensive documentation and profiling of violators, Spreading Justice provides critical information that supports coordinated actions by the international community.

HRA urges continued vigilance and coordinated pressure, alongside consultations with civil society, to uphold human rights and accountability.

A number of the targeted individuals have been extensively reviewed by HRA’s Spreading Justice. For more information on the sanctioned individuals, please visit the following profiles:

Ali Abdi: General Office of Prisons Organization in Khorasan Razavi Province

Ahmad Reza Azadeh: Head of Sepidar Prison

Mostafa Bazvand: Commander of the IRGC and Basij Resistance Force in Mazandaran province’s Babolsar county

Alireza Babaei Farsani: Director-General of Isfahan Province Prisons

Hamid Khorramdel: Commander of the IRGC’s Fatah Corps of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province

Gholamreza Roshan: Director General of Prisons in Khuzestan Province

Ali Jume Malek Shahkouie: Commander of the IRGC’s Golestan Corps of Golestan province

HRA continues to advocate for targeted human rights sanctions, including strategic coordinated efforts across jurisdictions, which are necessary to maximize the overall impact, reinforcing a united front against human rights violations. 

This essential tool holds perpetrators accountable, deters potential violators, and upholds international human rights standards without harming innocent civilians.

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An Increase in Women’s Activism alongside Rising Government Hostility in Iran –“They can imprison our bodies, but they will never imprison our fight for justice.”

As the two-year anniversary of Mahsa Zhina Amini’s death in detention approaches, HRA explores a surge in women’s activism in Iran and the worsening repression by the government in response. Despite the passage of time, accountability for the violence remains largely absent, and the situation continues to deteriorate. This report features personal accounts from female prisoners and women who have had interactions with various hijab monitoring bodies. The report delves into a brief historical evolution of protests for women’s rights, and the growing solidarity among women activists over the past 44 years. Further, it examines the government’s view of these movements as threats, leading to an increase in punitive actions such as arrests, violence, and severe legal consequences. 

Through this analysis, HRA aims to highlight the resilience of Iranian women in the face of extreme repression and the broader implications of their struggle for freedom and equality.

The Backdrop Women’s Activism in Iran

1.   Historical Background

In the 44 years since the Islamic Revolution, women’s rights in Iran have been significantly curtailed. The repression and violence against women have not only manifested in physical harm but have also been deeply embedded in political and legislative reforms. Key changes included granting men the exclusive right to seek divorce, implementing mandatory hijab rules, and lowering the legal marriage age for girls from 18 to 9. Women also could not leave the country without the permission of their husbands significantly impacting their right to freedom of movement. Additionally, The Family Protection Courts were initially abolished and replaced by regular courts, later succeeded by family courts presided over by clerics. These cleric-led courts routinely favored husbands in family disputes, further entrenching gender inequality.

Over the past 44 years, these restrictions have fueled a significant increase in women’s activism in Iran, leading to a decades-long struggle. One of the first major protests occurred on March 6, 1979, after Khomeini announced that women would be required to wear veils when entering government property or working in government ministries. This sparked a six-day protest, led by women, opposing the mandatory hijab ruling and advocating for equal rights. In response, pro-Khomeini Islamist forces met the protests with extreme violence and intimidation, including the chant: “Either hijab or a smack in the head!” Despite this, many women refused to be silenced, continuing to form women’s associations and gather, particularly in universities. By 1983, the government had passed laws punishing women who refused to comply with mandatory veiling. These laws led to severe harassment, assaults on women’s activists, and their eventual arbitrary arrests.1

2. Previous Protests        

After the 1979 protest, numerous protests and significant moments of women-led activism have continued. On 12 June 2006, the One Million Signatures Campaign began after a gathering in Tehran’s Haft-Tir Square to mark Iranian Women’s Unity Day. Various groups came together to demand reform of discriminatory laws against women, especially focusing on family laws. Iranian women had been advocating for change for decades, but this campaign represented the most comprehensive and dynamic effort seen thus far. After months of preparation, the campaign produced three key documents: (1) A petition calling for legal changes, which was meant to collect one million signatures. (2) A campaign plan that outlined the goals, methods, and structure of the movement. (3) A pamphlet titled The Effect of Laws on Women’s Lives, distributed by activists to raise awareness and gather support. The campaign, known for its grassroots approach, united women from diverse backgrounds and built a strong foundation for  a long history of advocating for women’s rights in Iran. Despite facing government repression and the arrest of activists, it became a significant milestone in the fight for gender equality. The One Million Signatures Campaign continues to symbolize the ongoing struggle for legal reforms and gender justice in Iran.2

Launched in May 2017, The White Wednesday movement encouraged women to wear white head scarves or other white clothing on Wednesdays as a peaceful yet bold act of resistance. By choosing white—a symbol of peace—the movement underscores the desire for freedom and autonomy in the face of state-enforced dress codes. Through the present day, women bravely share videos and photos of themselves, sometimes removing their hijabs in public, on social media platforms, despite knowing the severe consequences they could face from the government–they are the faces of the collective bravery of Iranian women. This movement has not only mobilized women but has also garnered support from men and others who stand in solidarity against the regime’s oppressive laws. The Iranian government has responded with harsh repression, arresting and imprisoning those who participate.

3. 2022 Protests “Woman, Life, Freedom”     

The 2022 protests represented a culmination of years of frustration, inequality, and repression. After the death in detention of Masha Zhina Amini following her encounter with the morality police for alleged hijab compliance, the country erupted in nationwide protests for 82 consecutive days–and more in some areas. Protestors came out onto the street with the slogan ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’, these protests were centralized around women’s rights but also the repressive laws, and the regime itself.  These protests were violently quashed by the anti-riot police and Iran’s militia force (Basij). Teargas, pellets, and live ammunition were used in the repression of protests. One HRA investigation even uncovered the use of paintball guns. The protests took place in 31 provinces, 160 cities, and 143 major universities. Tragically, these protests also led to the death of at least 530 individuals,3 including 68 children and teenagers. It’s also estimated that 18,242 protesters were arrested, HRA confirmed the identity of 3,670 arrested citizens, 605 students and 61 journalists or activists. 

The 2022 nationwide protests were unlike any other protests the country had seen before. Unlike recent protests, which were largely driven by economic or environmental concerns, these demonstrations were centered on political and human rights demands. Because the protests were sparked by the death of a young Kurdish and Sunni woman, her identity highlighted the intersection of gender, ethnic, and religious discrimination.

Iranian youth, with an average age of 15 according to law enforcement officials, played a pivotal role in these protests. An unprecedented solidarity emerged between Iranians within the country and those in the diaspora, uniting almost all classes of society, including the urban middle class, lower and upper classes, different ethnic and religious groups, sexual minorities, and various trade groups such as teachers, workers, students, professors, artists, and athletes. Businesses also demonstrated their support by participating in strikes. In terms of duration, these protests are among the longest continuous protests since the inception of the Islamic Republic.

The international community, particularly celebrities in arts, culture, and politics, has shown unprecedented support for the protesters, amplifying their demands and drawing global attention to the situation in Iran. The protests’ focus on women’s rights has revealed the progressive and assertive nature of Iranian society. The protests were often women led and demonstrated significant female leadership and participation and supported by men. One distinguishing feature of these protests is the unarmed demonstrators who frequently confronted security forces, often standing together to prevent arrests and resisting the Moral Security Police, whose decades-long interference in women’s personal lives fueled public anger.

In addition to the street protests, cyber warfare emerged between opponents and supporters of the regime, with numerous government sites being hacked. The hashtag #MahsaAmini became the first in Twitter’s history to surpass 284 million tweets, reflecting the global solidarity with the protesters. The Iranian government, this time, allowed FARAJA, the main law enforcement agency, greater latitude in repressing the protests, and employed alternative methods for controlling communication, such as reducing internet speed rather than cutting it off entirely, and filtering certain sites. Media outlets close to Iran’s security apparatus attempted to cover the protests in a way that favored the government, often underreporting the number of deaths during the protests.

These protests, despite lacking centralized leadership, have demonstrated the determination of Iranian society, particularly its younger generation, to secure their basic human rights. Iran’s ethnic groups, especially Kurdish and Baloch citizens, who are predominantly Sunni Muslims, have played a significant role in these protests and have also faced some of the most brutal crackdowns.4

Government’s Perception and Response

1.         Threat Perception        

The increased activism around women’s rights, especially regarding the compulsory hijab has made women a target of the government. Since the 16 of September 2022 up until the 18th of August 2024, 682 women have been detained for hijab-related reasons. During the same time period, 18 women’s rights activists have been arrested. Notable arrests include Zahra Dadras, Zhina Modarresi Gorji and Zeinab Khenyab.

Following the recent protests, several political leaders and officials in Iran have made statements regarding the mandatory hijab and women’s activism. On April 3, 2024, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, declared that compulsory veiling is a “religiously mandated decree and obligatory for women.” He attributed non-compliance to “foreign interference” and emphasized the need to address this issue.5

Subsequently, on April 13, 2024, Abbas Ali Mohammadian, the Commander of Tehran’s police force, announced that the police in Tehran and other provinces would begin confronting individuals who promote “social abnormalities,” such as appearing without a headscarf. He specifically mentioned that those who ignored previous police warnings would receive a final warning, with legal action to follow.6

On April 21, 2024, Hassan Hassanzadeh, the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran, introduced the formation of trained groups (the so-called “Ambassadors of Kindness”) to enforce compulsory veiling in public spaces, though he did not specify their exact composition or institutional affiliation.7

Finally, on April 23, 2024, Ahmadreza Radan, the Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s police force (FARAJA), announced the implementation of the “irreversible Noor Plan,” which has received approval from the parliament, judiciary, and government. On the same day, FARAJA issued a statement equating defiance of compulsory veiling with activities of “organized criminal gangs…involved in corruption, prostitution, and pornography.” Additionally, a “Bill to Support the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” is nearing adoption in Iran’s parliament. If passed, this law will formalize the government’s crackdown on women and girls defying the compulsory veiling mandate and will severely deepen the gender divide.8

The Iranian government perceives women’s activism, particularly in opposition to compulsory hijab, as a significant threat to its ideological and social control. Statements from key political and military leaders relieve a narrative that frames defiance of mandatory veiling not merely as a social or religious issue but as a challenge to state authority, ‘influenced by foreign interference.’  These statements also highlight the premeditated intent of the regime to suppress dissent. The rhetoric used by figures such as Ali Khamenei and Ahmadreza Radan equates women’s activism with organized crime and societal corruption, showcasing a deep-seated fear of the potential for these movements to destabilize the regime’s traditionalist foundations. The implementation of measures like the “irreversible Noor Plan” and the formation of enforcement groups like the “Ambassadors of Kindness” further underscores the government’s commitment to quelling these movements through legal, political, and physical means, viewing the activism as a direct assault on the state’s moral and cultural codes. This reaction highlights the regime’s view of women’s activism not just as a demand for rights but as a broader existential threat to the state’s ideological hegemony.

2. Current hijab monitoring bodies 

The hijab monitoring bodies often enforce violent methods to force women to comply with the mandatory hijab rules. So far in 2024, around 620 women have been arrested under Operation Noor. On June 21, on a street in Tehran, two teenage girls were violently assaulted and arrested by agents.9 These girls were then transferred to the Morality Police in a white van. According to the mother of one of the girls, when she visited the Morality Police, she saw her daughter with a bruised face, swollen lips, a bruised neck, and torn clothes. Additionally, they were threatened not to file complaints against the officers.

This incident resulted in injuries to at least one of the girls, Nafas Haji-Sharif, 14 years old. Maryam Abbasi, Nafas Haji-Sharif’s mother, disclosed that on July 1, her daughter was beaten by agents. She provided documents, including a video of the confrontation recorded by CCTV cameras, to Ensaf News. The video released from the time of the girls’ arrest shows that the girls were trying to hide on another street but were attacked by the agents. In the video, one of the girls is seen being severely beaten by the officers. As she resisted arrest, the officers grabbed her hair, dragged her violently on the ground, and forced her into a white van.

Maryam Abbasi said, “The hijab enforcers violently forced my daughter and her friend into the van, and her head was slammed into an electric post. Inside the van, they put their foot on my daughter’s neck and pulled her hair.” She also provided pictures of the injuries on her daughter’s body.

Abbasi mentioned that when she went to the Morality Police, she found her daughter with a bruised face, swollen lips, and a bruised neck. She also claimed that the officers involved in the incident treated her dismissively and ignored her complaint. She stated that the on-duty judge allowed her access to the CCTV footage, but subsequent follow-ups have been unsuccessful. She continues to call on various police and judicial authorities to investigate and address her complaint.

Meanwhile, the Morality Police claim that a female officer’s fingers were broken in the altercation and that the case’s judge threatened them not to file a complaint against the officers. Abbasi said, “In the presence of a lawyer, they told me not to complain against the officers; otherwise, the Intelligence and Security forces would get involved, making it costly for you and out of our control.”

In a similar act of violence against women, on July 22, Arezou Badri was heading home from work with her sister Sara while their car was flagged by the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) for improper hijab. Instead of de-escalating the situation, a First Sergeant in the LEF opened fire on the car as Sara attempted to drive away. One of the bullets struck Arezou in the spine. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Arezou will likely never walk again.

In a conversation with HRA, several women told their stories of what it was like to be confronted and arrested by Operation Noor officers. One women stated “With the resumption of the Noor Plan this year (April 13, 2024), at 6 PM in Enghelab Square, I was attacked by plainclothes officers and baton-wielding hijab enforcers, both male and female, in Tehran’s Enghelab Square. The arrested women present on that day were taken away in ambulances, motorcycles, and white Peugeot cars. After a two-hour chase through the alleys of Enghelab to the route home, I was hit by tear gas and attacked by four plainclothes motorcyclists armed with batons and wooden sticks. I dragged myself to the next alley and street”.

Iranian women paint a harrowing picture of the oppressive and violent treatment they endure at the hands of their government. They recount experiences of being brutally targeted for the slightest deviation from the state-imposed dress code, such as improper hijab. Women are not only subjected to arbitrary arrests and physical assaults but also face severe, life-altering consequences for resisting these draconian measures. The government’s response to any form of dissent is often swift and ruthless, with agents employing excessive force, including beatings, shootings, and threats, to enforce compliance.

One woman’s testimony encapsulates the pervasive fear and helplessness felt by many:

Government’s Hostility and Vengeance

The rise in activism in Iran has made these very women significant force, leading the government to see them as a threat at both social and structural levels. Women’s issues, such as the compulsory hijab, are increasingly difficult for the Islamic Republic to justify internationally, adding pressure on the regime.

The hijab is central to the Islamic Republic’s identity, especially after the 1979 revolution when its enforcement impacted women’s workforce participation. Any concession on the hijab is viewed as a step towards secularism, which the regime perceives as an existential threat. Therefore, women’s demands for freedom and equality are seen as a fundamental challenge to the regime’s ideological foundation.

These factors have fueled the government’s hostility towards women. Traditional societal norms in Iran complicate the government’s ability to label women protesters as terrorists or vandals, giving women more freedom to radicalize their protests. The government’s use of extreme and illegal measures, such as sexual violence against female detainees, strict new laws, and brute force, highlights its desperation to maintain control.

Following the 2022 protest, the ‘Hijab and Chastity bill’ was introduced, eventually expanding from 15 to 70 articles to enforce stricter regulations on mandatory hijab and gender segregation in public spaces. The bill imposes severe penalties, including fines and corporal punishments, and utilizes technology like AI for enforcement. It empowers the Basij group, intensifying societal control. Despite concerns about privacy and freedom, the bill has been pushed forward, with recent amendments requiring police to obtain legal authorization before intervening in certain cases.1011

The Hijab and Chastity Bill violates several key international human rights standards, especially under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Iran is a signatory. Firstly, the bill violats the Right to Freedom of Expression ( Art, 19 ICCPR); compulsory dress interferes with the freedom of expression and Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion ( Article 18, ICCPR) International law upholds an individual’s right to wear religious attire is voluntary, therefore forcing women to adhere to religious dress code contravenes this right.

Additionally, the Bill also violates the right to Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination (Article 3, ICCPR). The law disproportionately targets women and enforces gender-based discrimination. By mandating specific dress codes for women only, the bill discriminates on the basis of gender, violating the principle of equality before the law. Gender-based discrimination is explicitly prohibited under international human rights law​.

Lastly, The bill violates article 17, ICCPR, by enforcing strict dress codes through surveillance and state monitoring (including street enforcers and the potential for penalties based on social media activity), the law infringes on the individual’s right to privacy. Intruding into personal dress choices and punishing non-compliance directly violates the principle that individuals should be free from unwarranted interference in their personal life​  

Amir-Hossein Bankipour Fard, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated on May 12,2024  that under the Hijab and Chasity bill citizens could be arrested for four reasons. (1) Individuals who are considered to be semi-naked, (2) those who are ‘connected’ to anti-regime or foreign groups, (3) Individuals who resists after being warned, (4) foreigners who do not have acceptable documentation with them. These measures, like many, are vague in nature leaving far too much discretion in the hands of authority. This subsequently led to the deportation of Kobra Gholami in August 2024. She is an Afghan citizen and researcher at Al-Zahra University, who was deported to Afghanistan after she “received a warning about her hijab”, Bankipour has also  stated that the nƒahmew bill will include camera surveillance. 

Unprecedented Repression Signals a Growing Threat

Despite the government’s efforts, women’s activism continues, signaling its failure to fully suppress their movement. This situation has led to unprecedented repressive measures, including the potential issuance of death sentences to women activists, as a drastic and symbolic attempt to reassert control.

Among the harsh measures taken against women is the imprisonment of eleven prominent female activists in Gilan province. This crackdown on dissent extends to the imposition of death sentences as a form of retaliation. For example, Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, has been sentenced to death on charges of ‘Baghi’ (armed rebellion). Similarly, Pakhshan Azizi, a political prisoner, also received the death penalty on charges related to her alleged membership in anti-regime groups. Arrested on August 4th, 2023, in Tehran, Azizi was denied access to a private lawyer and was unable to see her family. After enduring four months of intense interrogation, she was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison, where she remains detained.

The Iranian government’s relentless crackdown on women’s activism reveals its profound fear of losing control over a society that is increasingly demanding basic human rights and freedoms. Despite decades of repression, women in Iran continue to challenge the regime’s authoritarian grip, especially around the issues of compulsory hijab and broader gender discrimination. The state’s response—marked by escalating violence, arbitrary arrests, and draconian legislation—reflects its desperation to maintain an ideological stronghold that is becoming ever more tenuous. However, the resilience of Iranian women, who persist in their fight despite the ever-present threat of severe punishment, underscores a growing crisis for the regime. The harsh measures, including imprisonment and even death sentences, may silence some voices temporarily, but they also ignite a deeper resolve among others, ensuring that the struggle for freedom and equality in Iran is far from over. As one activist poignantly stated, “Hope lies in the continuous efforts of ordinary people to live, to expand life; hope lies in the progressive slogans of the masses despite the absence of progressive mass organizations and the presence of reactionary opposition media; hope lies in women not backing down from the street battles for their minimal freedoms despite the severe consequences. If there is any hope for me, it is certainly in the streets of Iran and among the people who have repeatedly risked their lives over the years and have attacked the Iranian regime.’

In a conversation with HRA a woman shares her experiences being arrested and interrogated by Ministry of Intelligence forces:

Insights from Iranian Women

The conditions faced by women in Iranian prisons are a stark testament to the regime’s efforts to suppress dissent and break the spirit of those who challenge its authority. Women imprisoned for their activism, resistance to the mandatory hijab, or other acts of defiance endure extreme hardships that are both physical and psychological in nature.

Testimonies from women detainees reveal a disturbing pattern of abuse. One prisoner recounts, “They tried to break us with isolation and deprivation, but our resolve only grew stronger.” In facilities like Evin prison, women are subjected to solitary confinement, where they are cut off from the outside world, denied basic rights such as medical care, and prevented from contacting their families.12 The unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and lack of proper nutrition exacerbate their suffering, turning their imprisonment into a daily battle for survival.

High-security wards like Ward 209 in Evin Prison, controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence, are notorious for their harsh conditions. Women held here, often those seen as particularly threatening to the regime, are isolated even further. “They moved me to Ward 209 to silence me, but even in the darkness of solitary confinement, I knew I had to keep fighting,” said one woman who experienced this brutal treatment.

Hunger strikes have emerged as a desperate form of protest for these women, who use their bodies as the only means left to demand justice. The Iranian authorities respond to these protests with predictable cruelty. Rather than addressing the grievances of the prisoners, they intensify the repression. One prisoner stated, “When they saw we wouldn’t break, they only made it worse—more isolation, more threats.” In some cases, prisoners who refuse to wear the chador during court appearances or police check-ins face additional punishment, such as relocation to even harsher wards or further restrictions on their already limited freedoms.

Despite the brutal conditions, the spirit of resistance among these women remains unbroken. Their courage and resilience not only highlight the severe abuses they face but also serve as a beacon of hope and defiance against a regime determined to silence them. As one woman powerfully expressed, “They can imprison our bodies, but they will never imprison our fight for justice.”

A testament to unwavering commitment

Since the tragic and unlawful death of Mahsa Zhina Amini while in state custody, Iranian women have continued to demonstrate unparalleled courage and resilience in defiance of a systematic campaign of gender-based oppression orchestrated by the Iranian government. The international community must recognize and support this movement–and not only at times when it makes the headlines.

Despite decades of structural repression, Iranian women remain at the forefront of a growing movement for equality, fundamental rights, and personal autonomy, persistently challenging the discriminatory policies and practices of the regime. The Iranian government’s brutal attempts to suppress these voices – through widespread and systematic use of violence, arbitrary detention, and gender-based discriminatory laws – clearly amount to a sustained attack on the fundamental human rights of women.

As HRA’s investigation into the crime against humanity of gender and political persecution demonstrates, the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against women and girls in Iran fits squarely within the legal parameters of such crimes under international law. Under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), gender persecution is recognized as a crime against humanity when it involves “the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity.” The Iranian regime’s pervasive gender-based discrimination, coupled with its violent enforcement of discriminatory laws, constitutes such a deprivation of rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and security of person, freedom of expression, and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Although Iran is not a party to the Rome Statute, which specifically enumerates gender persecution as a crime against humanity, customary international law imposes binding obligations on all states, including Iran, to prevent and punish acts of persecution on the basis of gender.

Customary international law, derived from consistent state practice, holds that persecution—whether on political, racial, religious, or gender-based grounds—violates fundamental human rights.

This oppression is not an isolated incident but part of a broader state policy aimed at the systemic subjugation of women. HRA’s investigation highlights the widespread and systematic nature of this persecution, a defining characteristic of crimes against humanity under international law. The regime’s crackdown on women’s rights activists and political prisoners is designed to stifle dissent and maintain a patriarchal structure that is incompatible with the basic principles of gender equality enshrined in international human rights instruments.

Testimonies collected by HRA from activists and political prisoners further reinforce the conclusion that the regime’s repressive tactics, while temporarily silencing some, cannot extinguish the movement for gender equality and human dignity. 

As one woman interviewed by HRA expressed: “I hope that women will be recognized as half of the country’s human population and that conditions will change in a way that respects their rights and human dignity, and we will see them enjoying basic freedoms such as social freedoms.” 

Such sentiments are a testament to the resilience and determination of Iranian women and symbolize the hope for a future where gender equality is realized, and repression is met with accountability. 

It is essential for the international community to stand in solidarity with Iranian women, whose activism challenges not only gender inequality but also a deeply entrenched system of oppression that violates the very essence of universal human rights. There is both a legal and moral obligation to respond. The fight for women’s rights in Iran is not only a struggle for gender equality; it is a critical component of the global fight for justice, human dignity, and the rule of law and silence is complicity. 

https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/203107/1/sadeghi_boroujerdi_2023_iran_s_uprisings_for_women_life_freedom_over_determination_crisis_and_the_lineages_of_revolt.pdf ︎https://learningpartnership.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/One-Million-Signatures-Campaign-English_0.pdf
︎ HRA’s reporting includes both civilians and security forces, though the vast majority of those killed were civilian protesters.
︎ See HRA and parter UpRights inivestigation into the crime of humanity of gender and political persecution in the context of the 2022 protests, https://www.hra-iran.org/hra-with-legal-support-of-uprights-gender-political-persecution-in-iran-since-at-least-sept-2022-2/
︎ https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MDE1380292024ENGLISH.pdf ︎ https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MDE1380292024ENGLISH.pdf ︎ https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MDE1380292024ENGLISH.pdf ︎ https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MDE1380292024ENGLISH.pdf ︎https://www.en-hrana.org/report-on-violent-arrest-of-teenage-girls-in-tehran-over-mandatory-hijab/?hilite=two+girls ︎The important objection of the Guardian Council to the Chastity and Hijab bill about the police force ︎“Hijab and Chastity” bill; Resolution of two “ambiguities” of the Guardian Council by the Parliament ︎https://www.en-hrana.org/womens-rights-activists-zohreh-and-zahra-dadras-arrested-to-commence-serving-their-sentences/ ︎

The post An Increase in Women’s Activism alongside Rising Government Hostility in Iran –“They can imprison our bodies, but they will never imprison our fight for justice.” appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.