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Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran - 05 July 2023
Iranian executions and detentions in spotlight at Human Rights Council
Iran faced calls on Wednesday from top UN-appointed rights investigators to halt the executions of people sentenced to death in connection with anti-government demonstrations that have continued since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini last September.
“We have expressed concerns over domestic investigation into the death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini and in particular over the fact that today her family's right to truth and justice remains unfulfilled,” said Viviana Krsticevic, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
“Domestic investigations in her case have fallen short of international human rights norms, and, moreover, efforts to shed light on the circumstances of her death have been hindered,” Ms. Krsticevic told journalists at a press conference in Geneva.
Earlier, the Fact-Finding Mission told the Human Rights Council’s 47 UN Member States that the overall human rights situation in Iran risked deteriorating further amid reports that new legislation is being mulled that proposes harsher punishments on women and girls not wearing their veil according to strict rules.
The death of 22-year-old Ms. Amini after her arrest by Iran’s so-called morality police sparked mass protests across the country – and condemnation from UN-appointed rights experts, who called her a victim of “Iran’s sustained repression and systematic discrimination against women”.
‘Forced veiling’
“We have identified major risks of further erosion of women's and girls’ rights in Iran”, said Ms. Krsticevic. “We have expressed concern about the continuous repression of women and girls opposing forced veiling and their reported use of facial recognition technologies to identify and arrest them.”
The rights expert also pointed to information indicating that students “are being suspended from their studies or banned from dormitories for their defiance of the compulsory veiling law”.
Echoing concerns about the proposed use of flogging of women and girls who defy the compulsory veiling rules, Sara Hossein, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said that some of the penalties were “clearly what would constitute inhuman punishment under international law”.
Ms. Hossein added that there were also concerns that imposing detention for wearing clothes incorrectly constituted arbitrary detention.
The Fact-Finding Mission – established by the Human Rights Council in November 2022 - is also investigating whether alleged poisonings of girls in schools have been orchestrated as a means to punish or deter girls for their involvement in the protests.
“Just two months after the protests occurred, a series of alleged poisonings started in dozens of schools in 28 provinces”, said Ms. Krsticevic. “Reports said this may have been may have been orchestrated to punish girls or to turn them from involvement in the protests and are being duly investigated in the framework of our mandate.”
Even today, 10 months after Ms. Amini’s death events, no official data has been made publicly available regarding those arrested, detained, charged or convicted in connection with the protests, the experts said.
But reports continue to emerge of arrests and detentions of protesters, including women and girls refusing to comply with the country’s forced veiling law and of harassment of their family members.
“The aftermath of those protests in the form of intimidation of families and of reprisals continue unabated,” said Shaheen Sardar Ali, member of the Fact-Finding Mission.
She added that according to the Iranian authorities, 22,000 people had been pardoned in connection with the protests.
“This suggests that many more were detained or charged. Unfortunately, no disaggregated data exists on the nature of the accusations against these people or on those convicted, still detained or charged for their involvement in the protests.”
Those involved in the protests reportedly continue to suffer harsh punishments, including for exercising rights protected under international human rights law, the experts said.
This is despite concerns over a lack transparency in legal proceedings and failure to meet basic fair trial and due process guarantees under international human rights law.
Death penalty surge
“Since November 2022, at least 26 individuals have reportedly been sentenced to death in connection with the protests and dozens more have been charged with offences carrying the death penalty,” said Ms. Sardar Ali.
“Seven men have already been executed following these proceedings marred by serious allegations of fair trial violations, including confessions extracted under torture.”
To date, the Fact-Finding Mission has sent seven letters to the Iranian Government, including repeated requests for a visit to the country to gather information critical to its investigations which have yet to be answered.
Yesterday, the experts met the lead Iranian officials appointed to the “Special Committee to investigate the 2022 unrests”.
The Fact-Finding Mission is preparing a comprehensive report on its findings to the Human Rights Council for its 55th session in March 2024.
-ends-
Speakers:
- Sara Hossain, Chair of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission
- Shaheen Sardar Ali, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission
- Viviana Krsticevic, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission
Date shot: 05 July 2023
- Exterior medium shot: UN Palais with flags
- Wide shot: speakers and moderator behind podium at the press conference, screens on both sides of the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Viviana Krsticevic, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “We have expressed concerns over the domestic investigation into the death in custody of Gina Masa Amini and in particular over the fact that today her family's right to truth and justice remains unfulfilled. Domestic investigations in her case have fallen short of international human rights norms of standards. And moreover, efforts to shed light on the circumstances of her death have been hindered.”
- Close shot: attendee taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Viviana Krsticevic, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “We have also identified major risks of further erosion of women's and girls’ rights in Iran. We have expressed concern about the continuous repression of women and girls opposing forced veiling and their reported use of facial recognition technologies to identify and arrest them. Alarming information, according to which students are being suspended from their studies or banned from dormitories for their defiance of the compulsory veiling law continue to emerge.”
- Medium shot: photographers and attendees at the press conference, screen with speaker in the background
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Viviana Krsticevic, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “Just two months after the protests occurred, a series of alleged poisonings started in dozens of schools in 28 provinces. Reports said this may have been orchestrated as a means to punish girls or to turn them from involvement in the protests and are being duly investigated in the framework of our mandate.”
- Medium shot: speakers and moderator behind podium, photographer in the foreground
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sara Hossain, Chair of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “In relation to the nature of the penalties, some of the penalties are clearly what would constitute inhuman punishment under international law, such as flogging. There are also concerns that imposing detention for these kinds of occurrences would constitute arbitrary detention. There's also an attempt through this proposed legislation to essentially privatize enforcement of these job laws so that private actors would become responsible for any individual who doesn't comply with the laws.”
- Wide shot: speakers and moderators behind podium at the press conference, screens on both sides of the podium, attendees in the foreground
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shaheen Sardar Ali, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “The aftermath of those protests in the form of intimidation of families and of reprisals continue unabated. 22,000 people, as reported by the government of Iran, have been pardoned in connection with the protests. This suggests that many more were detained or charged. Unfortunately, no disaggregated data exists on the nature of the accusations against these people or on those convicted, still detained or charged for their involvement in the protests.”
- Medium shot: cameraman in the foreground, attendees in the background
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shaheen Sardar Ali, Member of the Iran Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): “Since November 2022, at least 26 individuals have reportedly been sentenced to death in connection with the protests, and dozens more have been charged with office offenses carrying the death penalty. Seven men have already been executed following these proceedings marred by serious allegations of fair trial violations, including confessions extracted under torture.”
- Close shot: camera filming the press conference
- Close shot: attendee taking notes
- Medium shot: cameraman at the press conference
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
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- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
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Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
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