The United Nations office of Human Rights has expressed concerns about Iran’s recent detention of film directors, civil society activists and family members of victims of human rights violations.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told Iran International on Wednesday, “So far in July, over 13 people have been arrested... We note with concern the continued crackdown against civil society actors and their fundamental rights in Iran.”

“We are particularly concerned that detentions are being made on the basis of overbroad national security and espionage charges, which would render them arbitrary under international human rights law,” the office said in response to Iran International’s Maryam Rahmati. 

“Civic and democratic space continue to be restricted, with human rights defenders and civil society actors operating within a coercive environment where violations are committed with impunity,” the OHCHR said, referring to the latest report by UN Secretary General António Guterres on the human rights situation in Iran presented to the Human Rights Council on 21 June. 

Also on Wednesday, the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor condemned the increasing arrests of rights activists by the Islamic Republic, saying “The recent arrests in Iran are a reprehensible crackdown on peaceful dissent, including against political activists, filmmakers, and brave women protesting mandatory hijab laws. The United States condemns Iran’s continued efforts to prevent the exercise of freedom of expression.”

Earlier in the day, Iran’s government and military officials warned the population over disobeying hijab rules, one day after many women took off their headscarves in public.