Iran’s President Pezeshkian Must Be Questioned on Human Rights Crisis at UNGA

Mass Executions, Abuse of Political Prisoners, Severe Violations of Women’s Rights Must Be Addressed

September 23, 2024 — As Member States and journalists prepare to meet with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and other members of his delegation at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, it is crucial to address the severe human rights abuses in the country, which the UN has now described as “crimes against humanity.”

“The president of Iran is free to travel to New York, while his government keeps thousands behind bars for peacefully criticizing the state’s repressive policies, including a woman who the world has honored with the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

“The world must not allow its attention to be diverted from the human rights crisis in Iran, or more women, children and men will remain unjustly imprisoned, face torture, and be sent to the gallows,” Ghaemi added.

We urge all attendees to raise the following issues with the Iranian delegation:

• Rampant executions: Executions have surged to hundreds already just this year, all without due process, and now including the hanging of peaceful protesters.
• Political prisoners: Activists, protesters and any critics of the state continue to be imprisoned, tortured, and even sent to their deaths, and severely abused in prison.
• Violations of women’s rights: Women face systemic discrimination, including a new law increasing the punishments for resisting mandatory hijab, imprisonment and death sentences for advocating for women’s rights, and severe abuse in Iran’s prisons.
• Persecution of minorities: Ethnic and religious minorities continue to be discriminated against, and disproportionally executed, arrested and killed in the streets.
• Continuation of hostage taking: Iran continues to abduct foreign/dual nationals to use as bargaining chips from France, the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Canada, and elsewhere.

To coincide with Pezeshkian’s speech at the UNGA, 47 women political prisoners from Iran’s notorious Evin prison will go on a hunger strike from 10 PM on September 23rd to 10 PM on September 24th, in a desperate attempt to call attention to the plight of Iran’s political prisoners.

CHRI urges journalists and state representatives to prioritize these human rights abuses in their discussions with the Iranian leadership. The human rights crisis in Iran will continue to worsen without meaningful attention and action by the international community.