November 6, 2025

Mr. António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations

United Nations Headquarters

405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA

Email: [email protected] | Fax: ‪+1 (212) 963-7055

Mr. Volker Türk

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Email: [email protected]

Contact form: https://www.ohchr.org/en/contact-us

Mr. Karim A. A. Khan KC

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court

Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK The Hague, The Netherlands

Email: [email protected]  | https://www.icc-cpi.int

Excellencies,

The Council for Cooperation of South Azerbaijani Organizations, representing a coalition of eight major political and civil entities advocating for the human and collective rights of the Azerbaijani Turk people in Iran, wishes to express its profound alarm regarding the accelerating wave of executions, arbitrary detentions, and systemic political persecution carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

We call your urgent attention to the case of Mr. Ehsan Faridi, a young Azerbaijani Turk from Tabriz, who has been sentenced to death following a grossly unfair and politically motivated trial. Alongside him, many other Azerbaijani Turk activists, as well as individuals from other national communities within Iran, are facing imminent execution.

These cases are not isolated. They reflect a deliberate policy of ethnic and political repression against non-Persian nations, particularly the Azerbaijani Turk population, under the pretext of national security and anti-separatism. This pattern of persecution has been extensively documented, including in the recent reports of Dr. Mai Sato, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/HRC/58/62 and A/80/349).

Legal Framework and Violations

The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a member of the United Nations and a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), is legally bound to uphold:

• The right to life (Article 6),
• The right to a fair and public hearing (Article 14), and
• The prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (Article 7).

Moreover, under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, systematic executions, persecution, and imprisonment on political, ethnic, or religious grounds constitute crimes against humanity. The current actions of the Iranian regime—marked by mass executions and ethnic-targeted repression—meet these legal criteria and must therefore trigger international accountability mechanisms.

We Therefore Urge:

1. That the United Nations Human Rights Council convene an urgent special session to address the ongoing executions in Iran and establish an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate state-perpetrated killings.
2. That the UN Secretary-General and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issue an immediate public call for the suspension of all executions, with particular attention to the cases of Ehsan Faridi and other political prisoners at imminent risk.
3. That the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court initiate a preliminary examination into crimes against humanity committed by Iranian officials in connection with mass executions, arbitrary detentions, and persecution of ethnic minorities.
4. That UN member states and international partners demand unfettered access for independent observers to Iran’s prisons, courts, and detention facilities.
5. That all diplomatic and economic relations with Iran be conditioned upon verifiable human rights progress, including the cessation of executions and the release of political prisoners.

Conclusion

These executions are not domestic judicial acts but rather instruments of political terror used to silence dissent and suppress ethnic identity. They represent a direct affront to international human rights law and to the moral authority of the United Nations system.

We, therefore, urge your immediate and coordinated intervention to prevent the execution of innocent individuals, ensure the release of political detainees, and hold accountable those responsible for state-directed atrocities in Iran.

Respectfully,

Council for Cooperation of South Azerbaijani Organizations (GATƏŞ)

Member Organizations of the Cooperation Council of South Azerbaijani Organizations

1. Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADF)
2. Azerbaijan Central Party (AMP)
3. Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization (Dirəniş)
4. South Azerbaijan Student Movement (AZOH)
5. South Azerbaijan Republic Party (ACP)
6. South Azerbaijan Democratic Party (GADP)
7. South Azerbaijan Independence Party (GAİP)
8. South Azerbaijan National State Alliance (MDA)
9. South Azerbaijan Liberation Party (GAQP)