UN Special Rapporteur on Iran’s Mandate Extended for Another Year

At today’s UN Human Rights Council session, the resolution to extend Javaid Rehman’s mandate by a year was passed with 19 votes for, 12 votes against and 16 abstentions. Iranian and international human rights organisations had called on the Council to extend Mr Rehman’s mandate.

In 2021, his mandate was extended by 21 votes in favour, 12 against and 14 abstentions. The Council established the mandate for a Special Rapparteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1984, ending in 1995. In that period, Andres Aguilar (1984-1986), Reynaldo Galindo Pohl (1986-1995) and Maurice Copithorne (1995-2002) served the role. The mandate was not extended from 1995-2011.

Ahmed Shaheed (2011-2016), Asma Jahangir (2016-2018) and Javaid Rehman (2018-present) have been mandated with the role since 2011. Javaid Rehman is a British-Pakistani legal scholar and Professor of International Human Rights Law and Muslim Constitutionalism at Brunei University, London.