Closing the Accountability Gap on Human Rights Violators in the Islamic Republic of Iran through

to the deal overshadowed concerns over the IRI’s dismal human rights record—which includes the imprisonment of • Congress should amend the acts enumerated in the prisoners of conscience, the execution of individuals for the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act terrorism exception exercise of their political and civil freedoms, and the perse- (§1605A(a)(1)) to include crimes against humanity or cution. [...] ATLANTIC COUNCIL 1 Closing the Accountability Gap on Human Rights Violators in the Islamic Republic of Iran through Global Civil Litigation Strategies The head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, Ebrahim Raisi, known for his role in the summary executions of thousands of political prisoners in Iran in 1988. [...] For the purposes of this report, assessing for the many Canadian victims.12 Legal complaints alleging the responsibility of the IRI includes the government, any universal jurisdiction claims against a former Iranian judge political subdivisions of the IRI, and any agency or instru- suspected to have ordered the torture of detained journal- mentality of the IRI, as well as IRI proxies where relevan. [...] The Atlantic Council aims for this report to be the first in This report covers the following: a series of reports covering strategic litigation tools that can be applied to the IRI—as well as other states, state 1) A brief background on Iran’s human rights situation actors, and non-state actors in jurisdictions around the and the violations of the Iranian leadership that this world. [...] Strengths of a Legal Approach Despite the bleak outlook for human rights in the IRI, there are ways that legal approaches from the outside can help civil society inside the coun-try bring about positive change, and also serve the interests of the international community on Iran and in the region.