UN Human Rights Council 61: UK Statement for the Joint Interactive Dialogue on Iran

16.3.2026

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 UK Statement for the Joint Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. Delivered by the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders. 


Mr Vice President,

The situation in Iran and the region is incredibly volatile. We want a swift return to security and stability. We continue to support our Gulf allies in the face of Iran’s reckless attacks. The Iranian authorities must not seek, as we have seen in the past, to exploit conflict to inflict further violence on its people.

A renewed internet and communications shutdown prevents crucial communications and access to emergency services. As we saw in January – when the shutdown coincided with the most intense period of lethal force – Iranian authorities turn off internet access to cover-up human rights violations.

That brutal crackdown on protesters marked the most violent episode in Iran’s history – and it is a history defined and sustained by State violence. Many thousands were killed. Thousands more were detained or disappeared. The full picture is not yet clear, which is why our support for evidence collection and accountability remains steadfast.

As this conflict continues, we are mindful of women and girls, and ethnic and religious minorities, who are acutely vulnerable – and who have faced severe repression since the Islamic Republic’s inception. They – as all Iranian people – deserve to live in peace and security.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/un-human-rights-council-61-uk-statement-for-the-joint-interactive-dialogue-on-iran