In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Mai Sato, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, concluded that restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association leave many Iranians effectively unable to protest lawfully.
The report also called on Tehran to amend laws governing protests and national security offences, release individuals detained for exercising basic rights and investigate alleged violations linked to demonstrations.
“The protection of protesters lies at the intersection of several fundamental rights,” the report said, warning that people must be able to express grievances peacefully “without fear of reprisal… intimidation, harassment, injury, torture or killing.”
Sato said laws regulating the use of force also give security forces wide discretion to disperse gatherings. The report added that lethal force should be used only as a last resort under international standards but said in practice it has repeatedly been used during protests.
“In practice, lethal force has been a consistent feature of the state’s response to protests over decades,” the report said, referring to past demonstrations in which security forces used assault rifles or shotguns firing metal pellets.
Beyond the immediate response on the streets, the report said pressure often continues against protesters, their families and those expressing solidarity with them.
According to the report, detainees have reported forced confessions broadcast on state television, while lawyers defending protesters face harassment, arrest or professional sanctions.
“Artists, writers and journalists who use creative expression as a form of resistance… face criminal punishments,” the report added, saying that some people have been ordered to attend “behavioral management classes.”
Digital crackdown
The report also describes extensive restrictions on online activity, with major social media and messaging platforms blocked or filtered and new governance policies expanding the authority of security bodies over internet infrastructure.
These measures have “significantly narrowed the space for online expression, civic mobilization and independent journalism,” the report said.
It also called on the international community to support efforts to document violations and pursue accountability.
Drawing on testimony submitted to her mandate, Sato said demonstrations in Iran reflected grievances shared across many parts of society.
“The protests were, in this sense, genuinely nationwide,” the report said, describing participants as representing “a cross-section of Iranian society, united by a desire for a different future.”
Sato further urged Iran to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and allow UN investigators access to the country.
The rapporteur said Iran’s legal framework makes it extremely difficult to organize demonstrations legally. Public gatherings require prior authorization, and applications can only be made by officially recognized political groups, while broadly defined national security offences can criminalize participation in unsanctioned protests.
As a result, the report said, “almost all forms of unsanctioned protest” risk being treated as criminal activity.
