Advocacy Mission in Geneva Against the Death Penalty in Iran

Advocacy

March 2025

From March 17 to 20 2025, ECPM and IHR were in Geneva on the sidelines of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council for an advocacy mission in connection with Impact Iran and participated in multiple meetings and advocacy meetings with various interlocutors from the United Nations, diplomatic representations and NGOs.

ECPM and IHR attended and submitted a written intervention in the context of the Interactive Dialogue following the presentation of the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and that of the International Fact-Finding Mission on the situation of human rights in Iran (FFMI). ECPM also co-signed a letter with 42 other NGOs calling for the renewal of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and for follow-up to the FFMI mandate.

On March 18, alongside the organizations KMMK-G, IED, Impact Iran, Article 19, Human Rights Institute, Minority Rights Group, MIAAN Group, ECPM co-sponsored a side event entitled Seeking Justice. Raphaël Chenuil Hazan, director of ECPM, spoke alongside Saman Yasin, rapper and composer sentenced to death in 2022, Fariba Balouch, human rights and women’s rights activist in Balochistan, Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Sara Hossain, president of the International Fact-Finding Mission in Iran, and Taimoor Aliassi, executive director of the Kurdistan Human Rights Association Geneva (KMMK-G) and International Education Development (IED).

Saman Yasin, ancien condamné à mort en Iran livrant son témoignage lors du side event "Seeking Justice" à Genève en 2025. — Saman Yasin, former political prisoner in Iran, sharing his story during the side event “Seeking Justice”
Credits : KMMK-G

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddan et Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan au Palais des Nations à Genève 2025 — Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam and Rapahël-Chenuil Hazan at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

Finally, ECPM attended the preview screening of the documentary film “Beyond the Lies” as well as a side event organized by Justice for Iran entitled: The UN recognizes crimes against humanity in Iran: what are the next steps? In 2020, ECPM had joined the initiative to set up the Aban Tribunal. The documentary and the side event recalled the beginnings of the documentation of serious human rights violations in Iran before the establishment of a mechanism by the Human Rights Council; the FFMI as well as the links between the various initiatives aimed at documenting serious human rights violations and fighting against impunity.

ECPM also co-organized a side event with Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) on the UPR and the death penalty, at which Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam, director of IHRNGO, spoke.