Iran

Iranian judicial authorities have dramatically increased the cost of peaceful dissent, sentencing dozens of human rights defenders and activists to decades-long prison sentences. As broad United States sanctions impact Iranians’ access to health and essential medicines, authorities maintain a tight grip over peaceful assembly, particularly labor-related protests. They also brutally repressed the nationwide protests in November 2019, using excessive and unlawful force and mass arbitrary arrests. To this date, authorities have failed to conduct transparent investigations and provide accountability for serious abuses committed by security and intelligence authorities.