UN human rights expert warns of mass killings in Iran, urges international probe

The United Nations’ special rapporteur on Iran has urged the international community to launch an independent fact-finding mission to investigate potential crimes against humanity committed by the Islamic Republic.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Mai Sato, the UN-appointed expert on the human rights situation in Iran, estimated that the regime has killed at least 5,000 civilians in recent unrest, though reports from doctors inside the country suggest the number could exceed 20,000.

“The death toll is staggering, and I have seen numerous videos of security forces opening fire on unarmed civilians,” Sato said. “Crimes against humanity [are] defined as widespread, systematic human rights violations against civilians, and that includes murder, torture, and arbitrary detention. There also needs to be intent. What we are seeing is extremely serious, and the fact-finding mission, which is already in place, will be best placed to investigate that.”

Sato explained that the United Nations Human Rights Council could convene an emergency session as early as this week to consider extending the mandate of the international fact-finding mission established after the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests. This mission could investigate the latest wave of protests and the regime’s human rights abuses, gathering evidence and identifying those responsible.

“The Council could be mandated to investigate this [latest] protest and the human rights impact in order to collect evidence and hold people accountable,” Sato said. The mission’s current mandate is set to expire in March but could be extended to cover ongoing abuses.

Sato also addressed the possibility of referring Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials to the International Criminal Court (ICC), emphasizing that a thorough investigation would need to precede any potential prosecutions. “Any potential prosecution could either take place at the ICC or states could exercise universal jurisdiction,” she explained, referring to national courts’ authority to prosecute serious crimes under international law.

The UN Security Council held an emergency session last week to discuss Iran’s crackdown on protesters, but Sato said that the Human Rights Council—unlike the Security Council, which is subject to veto powers—can establish investigations and issue recommendations to member states. Human rights organizations and NGOs have called for the Council to convene an emergency session to address the mass killings.

Sato also highlighted the challenges of documenting abuses due to an ongoing internet blackout in Iran. “Some protesters have managed to speak with us via Starlink connections, calling on the United States and the wider international community to support them,” she said.

Sato warned that the regime’s use of the death penalty remains a serious concern. According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 1,500 executions were verified in the country through early December 2023, with many more likely since then.

“The death penalty in Iran has been a serious concern. We need to think about it not just in terms of the number of executions, but as a form of coercive threat… a way to exert control over citizens. Under the communications blackout and despite public assurances from the regime, executions could rise again,” Sato said.

Sato said the Islamic Republic was deliberately attempting to conceal the mass killing of protesters on the street by shutting down the internet, as well as the telecommunications network.

By Vafa Guliyeva