Iran’s Systemic Torture Spotlighted on UN International Day for Victims

The United Nations observes June 26 as the International Day for the Victims of Torture, calling for an end to torture worldwide. Recent UN‑backed reports identify Iran as one of the world’s highest‑risk countries for state‑sanctioned torture, documenting a pattern of physical and psychological abuse used against protesters, political activists, children and minority groups. The Global Torture Index details methods such as beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, forced feeding, mock executions and prolonged solitary confinement, noting that many detainees are denied any legal recourse. Iran has not ratified the UN Convention against Torture, and its judicial system continues to employ corporal punishments such as flogging and amputations, often to extract confessions. International human‑rights bodies urge Iran to criminalise torture in its laws, halt the death penalty and other corporal punishments, end forced confessions, and allow UN investigators unfettered access.