Observing Human Rights Day every year on December 10 may pass people by without a moment’s thought — another unnecessary day which no one is aware of and which goes by unnoticed. Yet, Human Rights Day marks the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights In 1948. An inspiration for the evolution of human rights instruments across the globe over the years, the date is more than symbolic; it is a time to celebrate the progress made and identify what still needs to be addressed. Retrospectively, 2021 has brought its fair share of victories for human rights. First for Mexican and South Korean women who no longer face criminal charges for having abortions. For free speech, then, with Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul and Egyptian journalist Solafa Magdy being released from prison after having been unjustly incarcerated. For the abolition of the death penalty finally with Sierra Leone, Kazakhstan, and the U.S. state of Virginia putting an end to capital punishments. All of these events are cause for celebration. Yet, an appalling number of individuals around the world continue to suffer daily from violations of their basic fundamental rights. A single look at Iran suffices to realize all that remains to be done. Despite having signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires signatories, Iran brutally and routinely denies its citizens the rights enshrined in the treaty. As of today, Iran has carried out 246 executions this year. Demonstrations are violently repressed and often end in a bloodshed, women are harassed and discriminated against on a daily basis, prosecuted Iranians do not receive fair trials and minority communities such as the LGBTQI+ are persecuted. Simply put, the Iranian regime disregards its commitment to its people based on gender, sexuality, religion, and much more.