The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has issued a directive to the country’s judiciary banning the use of Western human rights principles in judicial decisions. In a speech delivered on Saturday during a meeting with Iran’s Judiciary Chief and other senior judiciary officials, Khamenei described Western human rights principles as incorrect and accused Western nations of hypocrisy. This declaration comes on the heels of a controversial ruling by Iran’s Supreme Court, which overturned the death sentence of dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi one day prior.
Salehi faced severe charges including “corruption on Earth,” a crime punishable by death, as well as “propaganda against the state” and “collaboration with hostile governments,” which carry prison sentences of one to ten years. Salehi was isolated in Dastgerd Prison, managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His arrest was linked to his controversial lyrics that criticized the Iranian regime and highlighted the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody for not wearing a head covering as mandated by Iranian law. The death of Amini and subsequent protests led to a crackdown by Iran’s legal system, with numerous protestors facing severe sentences, including execution.
The United Nations has documented widespread human rights violations by Iranian authorities during and after these protests. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission recorded various violations such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender persecution. Historical human rights violations have also been a point of contention, with ongoing international scrutiny over events such as the 1988 prison massacres, detailed in an Amnesty International report from 2018.
In a sudden turn of events, the country is also gearing up for an early presidential election on June 28, following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash this past May.
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