Mock executions as Iran ‘crushes dissent’ under new president

Investigators also say hijab enforcement has been ramped up

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had been regarded as a relative moderate who had criticised the handling of Mahsa Amini's death. Reuters

Iran is staging mock executions and ramping up enforcement of its hijab laws for women as part of a “concerted effort to crush dissent”, UN investigators said on Friday.

The UN fact-finding mission said hopes of moderation after President Masoud Pezeshkian's election last year were being dashed by the continuing crackdown. It said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was turning to so-called “ambassadors of kindness” to force women to cover their heads.

The report, which will be presented to the UN's human rights council next week, says Iran has largely failed to address the violence that erupted in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of the morality police. She had been arrested in Tehran for wearing her hijab “improperly”.

Although Tehran says it has moved to discipline police officers in 600 cases, investigators said there was scant evidence of punishments or compensation.

Instead, victims are being “continuously intimidated” and arrested and at least 10 people have been executed over the protests, according to the UN mission.

In addition, its chairwoman Sara Hossain said other prisoners had been held at gunpoint and had nooses put around their necks in mock executions that amounted to “psychological torture”.

Sara Hossain, chairwoman of a UN fact-finding mission on Iran, said mock executions were a 'new area' of its investigations. AFP

She said the frequent mock executions were a “new area” of the investigation and had affected men, women and children. The inquiry has not been given access to Iran, but has interviewed 285 victims and witnesses of the crackdown and collected more than 38,000 items of evidence, Ms Hossain said.

“The government of Iran continues to ramp up efforts to restrict the rights of women and girls, and others demanding human rights as part of a concerted effort to crush dissent,” the commission said. “Beyond intensifying surveillance, the state has expanded restrictions on digital space, extending its repression beyond Iran’s borders.”

Shaheen Sardar Ali, a member of the commission, said floggings had been carried out against those who rejected the mandatory hijab laws. She said the police and IRGC were increasingly deploying their personnel to enforce the rules.

“Despite the pre-election promises by the president to ease strict enforcement, the state has ramped up the enforcement of mandatory hijab laws and policies,” she said. The crackdown on that front involves an “increased use of technology and surveillance” and state-backed vigilantes enforcing the moral code, according to the report.

Iran says the mission is a politically motivated exercise. It says many of those involved in the 2022 unrest have been pardoned and given compensation.

Iran says it has disciplined police involved in the 2022 unrest that erupted after Mahsa Amini's death, but investigators found scant evidence. EPA

Mr Pezeshkian was elected President after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last May. He was regarded as a relative moderate who had criticised the handling of Ms Amini's death and suggested restrictions could be eased.

As well as disappointing the UN investigators, Iran has alarmed nuclear inspectors by ramping up uranium enrichment at near-weapons grade levels. US President Donald Trump recently signalled he was willing to negotiate with Tehran on its atomic programme, having pulled out of a previous deal that limited its activities in exchange for sanctions relief.