Iran: submission to the 48th session of the UN Universal Periodic Review

Introduction

CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) and CSW-Nigeria are a human rights organisations specialising in the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

This submission seeks to draw attention to human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran ahead of the state’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Legal Framework

During the third cycle of the UPR, Iran noted recommendations from Brazil and the Netherlands[1] to amend Article 13 of the constitution to ensure that all religious minorities are able to fully enjoy the right to FoRB.

Currently, Article 13 of Iran’s constitution only recognises Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Judaism as religious minorities, and while Article 14 states that ‘the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and all Muslims are duty-bound to treat non-Muslims in conformity with ethical norms and the principles of Islamic justice and equity, and to respect their human rights’, and Article 23 forbids ‘the investigation of individuals’ beliefs’, adding that ‘no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief’, severe violations of the right to FoRB persist.

Iran has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which stipulates the right of all people ‘to freedom of thought, conscience and religion’, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of ones choice, and ‘freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.’[2]

Yet, following amendments to Articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, signed into law in February 2021, members of religious minority communities face prison sentences of up to five years on vague and expansive charges, such as ‘engaging in propaganda that educates in a deviant way contrary to the holy religion of Islam.’ The first known case of Christians being charged under the amended articles occurred in May 2021.

To read the submission in full, you can download the pdf here.

[1] United Nations, Report of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review: Islamic Republic of Iran Addendum, A/HRC/43/12/Add.1, 20 February 2020, Recommendations 26.306 and 26.317, respectively. https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g20/044/46/pdf/g2004446.pdf?token=dNTz2aSBj2oSgdY4lb&fe=true

[2] ICCPR, Article 18.1