The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has given a damning assessment of human rights in Iran, highlighting the “alarming rate” of executions and saying little progress has been made under president Hassan Rouhani, the Guardian reported.

In spite of his achievements on the international front, most notably reaching last year’s landmark nuclear deal, Rouhani’s promises of domestic improvements have stalled in the face of resistance from hardliners.

Ban’s 19-page report, released this week, says he remains “deeply troubled” by accounts “of executions, floggings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, unfair trials, denial of access to medical care and possible torture and ill-treatment”.

It adds: “He is also concerned about continued restrictions of public freedoms and the related persecution of civil society actors, the persistence of discrimination against women and minorities and conditions of detention.”

The UN says the rate of executions in Iran – at least 966 people were sent to the gallows last year – remains a huge source of concern. 

Most of the executions are related to drug offences but trials “fall short of the international fair standards”, Ban’s report finds.

Ban’s report also highlights the plight of journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who recently had her 16-year jail sentence upheld in an appeals court. 

Mohammadi is locked up partly because of allegations of “establishing and running the illegal splinter group Legam”, a grassroots organisation advocating the abolition of the death penalty in Iran.

Source: MENA