UN experts on Thursday urged Iran to end an escalating crackdown on minorities in the country, particularly Kurds and Baluch communities.
Independent experts pointed to arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, ill-treatment and executions.
“Iran's ethnic minorities must be able to live in safety and dignity, free from discrimination,” the experts said in a statement.
They made the urgent appeal on behalf of four Kurdish men – Yousef Ahmadi, Raouf Sheikh Maroufi, Mohammad Faraji and Mohsen Eslamkhah – and a Baluch man – Farhad Baranzehi – who "face imminent risk of execution following proceedings allegedly marred by torture and forced confessions".
Iranian authorities have reportedly detained thousands of people since widespread protests erupted in the country late last year, the experts said. At least 24 members of Iran's Baloch minority and 22 Kurds have been executed this year while many others remain at imminent risk of execution.
The experts said the crackdown had intensified following the start of the anti-government protests. Initially triggered by rising living costs, the demonstrations quickly expanded into broader protests against the authorities.
They also noted that the persecution of Kurdish and Baluch minorities extends beyond the country's borders, and includes campaigns of threats and surveillance against people living abroad.
“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,” they said.
Iranian authorities have blamed the protests on US and Israeli influence.
The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, triggering a wider Middle East conflict. Since then, arrests and executions have increased, and experts have linked the rise to both the regional conflict and the domestic protest movement.
Iran has long defended its use of the death penalty, saying it is carried out in accordance with its laws and is necessary to combat serious crimes and threats to national security.
According to Amnesty International, Iran executed more than 2,150 people last year, making it the world's second most prolific executioner after China, although comprehensive figures for China are not publicly available.
The experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, serve in an independent capacity and do not speak on behalf of the UN.
