UN to hold emergency session on Iran’s protest crackdown

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will convene an emergency session to address the escalating violence used by Iranian authorities against protesters, following a push by a coalition of states to expand the UN’s investigation into alleged human rights abuses.

At least 50 countries supported the call for the special session, citing credible reports of nationwide crackdowns and violations of international human rights law, according to a letter drafted by Iceland, Iran International reports.

A proposal under consideration at the Geneva-based body seeks to extend the mandate of a UN investigation established in 2022, following earlier waves of protests, by an additional two years. The proposal also calls for an urgent inquiry into alleged violations and crimes linked to the latest unrest, which began on December 28, with a view toward potential future legal proceedings.

Payam Akhavan, an Iranian-Canadian former UN prosecutor, stressed the significance of documenting alleged abuses, noting that such efforts could lay the groundwork for future accountability.

“The scale of the crimes is unprecedented,” Akhavan said ahead of the emergency session. “We are trying to set the stage for transitional justice in Iran, for the country’s Nuremberg moment, should that come to pass,” he said, referring to the post-World War II trials of Nazi leaders.

Akhavan added that even if prosecutions are not immediately feasible, meticulous documentation of alleged violations is critical to ensuring accountability in the future.

By Vafa Guliyeva