U.N. High Commissioner for Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Irans regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the worlds longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.
In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28, as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights.Â
“I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in harsh and brutal ways,” Türk said.
Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed in connection with the , 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two on espionage charges. It’s estimated that some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January’s uprising.
Türk warned that Irans broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to , and rely on coerced confessions.
“Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate,” he said, calling on Tehran to on capital punishment, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.
For many Iranian dissidents, the findings reflect an already dire reality.
“It is bad,” Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. “Theyre completely .”
On Saturday, it was reported that Iran had executed another athlete, a 21-year-old karate champion. Sassan Azadvar Joonqani was detained in January during the anti-regime protests and was executed by the regime on Thursday, according to a report in Euronews.
Last month, Iran executed another athlete, 19-year-old wrestling champion , for protesting against the regime, Fox News Digital reported.Â
Türks office said detainees have reportedly faced , and televised confessions, with ethnic and religious minorities including BaháÃs, Zoroastrians, Kurds and Baluch Iranians facing particular risk.
Among those cited by the U.N. was imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose condition sharply worsened Friday after what her family described as a catastrophic health crisis following months of being denied specialized care.
According to a statement from the Narges Foundation that was published Friday, Mohammadi was urgently transferred by ambulance from Zanjan Prison to a hospital after suffering two episodes of complete loss of consciousness in a single day, accompanied by severe cardiac distress. The foundation said prison doctors determined her condition could no longer be managed on-site after what her family called a “last-minute” transfer that may have come dangerously late.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that her physical condition had already become increasingly dire after what he described as a violent arrest and deteriorating prison treatment. “She has sustained severe trauma and urgently requires medical attention.”
Rahmani previously said Mohammadis medical team and outside specialists had pushed for treatment in Tehran due to her of multiple heart procedures, while authorities allegedly blocked those recommendations until her condition became life-threatening. Despite her physical decline, Rahmani said, “Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast.”
The U.N. statement, combined with Mohammadis emergency hospitalization, has intensified scrutiny of Irans prison conditions, which Türk described as marked by overcrowding, medical neglect, and severe human rights abuses.
Türk also cited , including overcrowding, shortages of food,
