As 2023 comes to a close, a human rights group has documented numerous cases of violations, including those targeting religious and ethnic groups, women, and labor activists.
Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) published its annual report for 2023 on December 28, detailing various cases of human rights violations collected from 111 media and legal sources.
Spanning January 1 to December 20, 2023, the report is the result of the collection, analysis, and documentation of 9,656 human rights reports.
Crackdown On Labor Activists
According to the report, there were at least 2,021 protest rallies in Iran in 2023, the majority of which were trade union and labor demonstrations, including 111 labor strikes. Security and intelligence agencies used intimidation, arrests, and prosecutions to target labor activists.
Towards the end of December, workers at the Esfahan Steel Company halted operations to express their discontent through organized gatherings and chanting slogans.
Amidst the labor unrest, a household inflation rate of 45.5% was reported, indicating a growing public discontent.
Ongoing Repression Of Ethnic, Religious Minorities
The HRA 2023 report also stated that 324 people were arrested over their ethnic activism, with 19 individuals facing imprisonment. Additionally, 142 people were arrested for religious reasons, with 85% of cases concerning the Baha’i community.
Regime Targets Women Activists
44 women were arrested for their activism for women’s rights and 3,176 were prosecuted by the government over their refusal to wear compulsory hijab. Cases of rape, murder, and systemic deprivation of rights for LGBT and queer groups were also documented.
Freedom Of Speech Violations & Academic Repression
The Iranian regime arrested 3,130 people in 2023 and handed down 25,124 months of imprisonment. Academic repression, including university student summonses, interrogations, and school student poisoning incidents were also documented.
The Islamic Republic’s Juggernaut of Executions
HRA reported 746 executions in Iran in 2023, with concerns raised by the United Nations, the European Union, and human rights activists.
A comparison with HRW’s 2022 report indicates an intensified crackdown against religious, ethnic, and gender minorities, as well as political and labor activists in 2023.