Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Introduction

On 24 March 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution re-establishing the mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The previous mandate established by the Commission on Human Rights was terminated in 2002.

Current mandate holder

On 12 July 2024, Ms. Mai Sato was appointed as the fourth Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran since re-establishment of the mandate. She commenced her duties officially on 1 August 2024.

Ms. Sato is Professor and Director of the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research, in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London. Ms Sato is a social scientist and a criminologist by training and her research has focused on maximising the integrity of justice systems globally, particularly concerning the death penalty and the legitimacy of courts and police.

Overview of the mandate

In April 2025, the Council again extended the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for an additional year through resolution A/HRC/58/21 and requested the Special Rapporteur to monitor the ongoing situation of human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and to measure progress in the implementation of recommendations, and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-first session and to the General Assembly at its eightieth session.

In the discharge of her mandate, the Special Rapporteur will:

a) Monitor human rights violations, transmits urgent appeals and letters to Iran on alleged violations of human rights;
b) Seek to undertake country visits to Iran and to the region and engage with relevant stakeholders;
c) Submit reports to General Assembly and Human Rights Council on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran ; and
d) Engages publicly on issues of concern, including through press releases.