Freedom of expression is the right of every individual to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media. Freedom of expression protects your right to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference. This includes the right to express views through written materials, media broadcasts and works of art. The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in Article19 of the ICCPR, and Article 24 of Iran’s own Constitution.

In 2021 changes were made to Articles 499 and 500 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, which ARTICLE 19, an organisation dedicated to the protection of freedom of speech, called “a full-on attack on the right to freedom of religion and belief”. The amended version of Article 500 provides for up to five years’ imprisonment for “any deviant educational or proselytising activity” by members of so-called “sects” that “contradicts or interferes with the sacred law of Islam” through “mind-control methods and psychological indoctrination” or “making false claims or lying in religious and Islamic spheres, such as claiming divinity”. Ever since the amendments were proposed, rights groups including Article18 have warned that the vaguely defined law could be used to further clamp down on unrecognised religious minorities, including Persian-speaking Christians, as the two articles were already routinely used in the prosecution of converts. Just a few months after the ratification of the new amendment, three Christian converts were sentenced to five years each in prison under the new law.

Freedom of peaceful assembly is the right of people to come together in a public place for a common expressive purpose, such as for worship, meetings, processions, and rallies. The right to peaceful assembly means that someone can gather together with others peacefully, without fear of being arrested or harassed by government agents. In fact, the authorities have a duty to facilitate peaceful assemblies, so the police may be required to take special measures to ensure the safety of both the people assembling and the general public. The right to freedom of assembly is enshrined in international human rights law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and Article 22 of the ICCPR, as well as Article 26 of Iran’s own Constitution.