COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: January 2025
This section covers the international protection needs of Kurds and Baluches.
There is no commonly agreed definition of ethnic group, but it is generally viewed as a community (including a minority and/or an indigenous people) with common characteristics such as language, religion, common history, culture, customs and mores, way of life or place of residence [EASO Practical Guide: Qualification for international protection, p.22].
The analysis below is based on the following EUAA COI report and query: Country Focus 2024, 2, 3.9, 4.7; COI Human Rights, 1.3. Country Guidance should not be referred to as source of COI.
Ethnic minorities in Iran continued to be targeted by the authorities, in particular Kurds and Baluches.
Article 19 of the Iranian Constitution ensures equal rights for all ethnic groups, but in practice, ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Kurds, Baluches, and Arabs, face targeting and discrimination by authorities, including stigmatising and defamatory narratives disseminated by state-sponsored media, which sometimes include incitement to violence. Kurds, Baluches and Arabs who claim political rights are perceived as threats against the national security and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic. Separatists groups are particularly targeted by the Iranian authorities. The UN Special Rapporteur and USIP reported in 2023 that these minorities are often imprisoned on vague charges and face unfair trials. The UN OHCHR expressed concern over the high number of executions, including those of minority members. In 2023, Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 324 arrests of ethnic minorities members, with 156 occurring without a warrant.
The death penalty has been wielded by the Iranian authorities as a tool of political repression against ethnic minorities.