Discrimination against religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran has “persisted in law and practice”, the UN Secretary General notes in his latest report.

The report, presented today at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calls on the Islamic Republic to “protect the rights” of religious minorities and ensure an end to “all forms of discrimination against them, without delay”.

The report highlights the continued arrests of Christians, including Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri and Gholam Eshaghi, who it notes were subjected to “prolonged interrogations and coercive pressure to recant their faith”, before being released on bail ahead of their trial, which is ongoing.

It also references the arrests of over 40 Christians at Christmas, which “coincided with an official announcement of five days’ leave for Christian prisoners to celebrate Christmas, from which at least 18 Christian prisoners of conscience were excluded for unknown reasons”.

The report was presented by the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, who began by calling for a “de-escalation” of the “escalating conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel”, which she called “deeply worrying”.

Ms Al-Nashif noted the reports of “many thousands of residents fleeing parts of the capital, Tehran, as a result of warnings covering broad areas”, and said there were “serious concerns that some attacks are taking place in populated areas, with reports of civilian casualties”.

She said it was “imperative that both sides fully respect international law, in particular by ensuring the protection of civilians in densely populated areas and of civilian objects”, and urged “all those with influence to engage in negotiation as a matter of priority”.

In his response to the presentation, the representative of the Islamic Republic, Ali Bahreini, said the “violation of the human rights of the Iranian people, including their right to safety, territorial integrity and prosperity, must be considered in any report or reference to the situation of human rights in Iran”. 

Mr Bahreini made no remark regarding the contents of the report, which also highlighted instances of torture and arbitrary detention, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, association and peaceful assembly, among other concerns.