A/HRC/34/54/Add.3 195. The Special Rapporteur strongly urges the Government to refrain from carrying out death sentences, particularly against minors, and to abolish the practice of executions. JUA 04/06/2015 Case No. IRN 6/2015 State Reply: 04/03/2016 and 16/03/2016 Allegations concerning the detention and mistreatment of Ms. Atena Farghadani and Mr. Jason Rezaian, and Ms. Yeganeh Salehi in detention, and the denial of due process. 196. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its replies, dated 16 March 2016 and 4 March 2016 to the present communication, available via the link above. 197. The Special Rapporteur takes note of the information provided by the Government that Mr. Rezaian was arrested on charges of espionage and released from detention on 16 January 2016; and that Ms. Farghdani, a graphic artist, was sentenced to prison on charges of assembly and collusion with the aim of acting against national security, propaganda activities against the State, and insulting various State officials, and that this constitutes a preliminary ruling that can be appealed and heard at the Tehran Appellate Court. The Special Rapporteur regrets that no information has been provided concerning the case of Ms. Yeganeh Salehi, a journalist for a newspaper of the United Arab Emirates, who was arrested together with Mr. Rezaian and subsequently released on bail. In spite of the information supplied, the Special Rapporteur finds that the Government, in its reply, does not sufficiently address the concerns, legal obligations, and questions raised concerning the mistreatment of Ms. Farghdani, who was subjected to beatings and solitary confinement; and Mr. Rezaian, who was subjected to solitary confinement and extensive interrogation while in custody, thereby prompting him to conclude that the Government has failed to fully and expeditiously cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council in resolution 25/13. 198. In the absence of information to the contrary, the Special Rapporteur concludes that there is substance in the allegations presented in the initial communication, and is therefore of the view that the Government of Iran, by failing to protect the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Farghdani and Mr. Rezaian, including by subjecting them to beating and solitary confinement, has violated their right be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as provided by article 7 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 199. The Special Rapporteur highlights the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, which stresses that “all prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings” (General Assembly resolution 45/111). The Special Rapporteur further stresses that “solitary confinement is a harsh measure which may cause serious psychological and physiological adverse effects” and for that reason solitary confinement has been found to be “contrary to one of the essential aims of the penitentiary system, which is to rehabilitate offenders and facilitate their reintegration into society” (A/66/268, para. 79). 200. Further, in the Special Rapporteur’s interim report to the General Assembly of 5 August 2011 (A/66/268), he defined solitary confinement, in accordance with the Istanbul Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement, as the physical and social isolation of individuals who are confined in their cells for 22 to 24 hours a day. He observed that while solitary confinement for short periods of time may be justified under certain circumstances when adequate and effective safeguards are in place, the use of prolonged (in excess of 15 days) or indefinite solitary confinement causes severe mental and physical pain or suffering. The Special Rapporteur further recalls paragraph 39