Testimony delivered before the United Nations Human Rights Council by Nazanin Afshin-Jam, during the General Debate of Item 8 in the 55th regular session, 26 March 2024
Full Remarks
Mr. President, in September 2009 I came before this council, to appeal for a special session on Iran.
13 years later, after the brutal crackdown of the Islamic Republic against the revolutionary movement. In November 2022 the council granted our request and created a fact-finding mission.
Last week, we heard its report. The mission found that the Islamic Republic committed murder, torture, rape, persecution, forced disappearances, and other inhumane acts. It found these were committed as part of a widespread, systematic attack against the peaceful civilian population, especially targeting women and girls.
The Special rapporteur named it a system of gender apartheid. The mission found these acts amount to crimes against humanity.
Just after, at a Council side event, the Mission’s findings were corroborated by harrowing testimonies from courageous survivors of intentional blinding, gunshot attacks, rape and torture by the Islamic republic
Mr. President, we now urgently need to collect more testimonies and evidence from survivors willing to testify.
It is why over 80 civil rights activists from inside Iran signed a letter urging all Council members to vote to extend the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission.
On behalf of a network of over 90 Iranian diaspora groups, I am also urging the human rights council to refer the findings of the report to the UN Security Council and to the ICC.
As well as requesting UN member states to support prosecutions by exercising universal jurisdiction.
