UN experts urge Iran to end ‘targeting’ of minorities

United Nations rights experts urge Iran to end what they call the escalating arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary executions of ethnic minorities.

The Kurdish and Baluch minorities are particularly affected, they say in a statement.

“Iran’s ethnic minorities must be able to live in safety and dignity, free from discrimination,” the experts say.

In late December, a protest movement initially sparked by the high cost of living rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that prompted a regime crackdown killing thousands of protesters.

The UN experts say that since the protests began, Iranian authorities had reportedly detained thousands of individuals.

“Reports point to a significant increase in arbitrary arrests, and what appears to be politically motivated sentences, including against individuals from ethnic minorities, who are often arrested under broadly defined national security charges,” the experts say.

Iranian authorities have claimed the violence was due to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February, arrests and executions have multiplied in the country, linked to both the conflict and the protests.

Last year, Iran put to death over 2,150 people, according to Amnesty International, making it again by a huge margin the world’s most prolific executioner after China.

The UN experts say that this year, at least 24 members of the Baluch minority and 22 members of the Kurdish minority have been executed, with many more at imminent risk of being put to death.

Minorities “continue to be targeted during periods of political and social unrest through narratives that portray them as threats to national security,” they say.

“The targeting of Kurdish and Baluch minorities extends beyond the country’s borders and includes campaigns of threats and surveillance against individuals living abroad,” they add.