UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on Iranian authorities to release all those detained in the country "in connection with the exercise of their rights, including the right to peaceful assembly," TASS reported.

Turk called on the authorities to release all those who have been detained in connection with the exercise of their rights, including the right to peaceful assembly, and to drop the charges against them.

He noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recommends that the Iranian authorities impose a moratorium on the death penalty as soon as possible and abolish death sentences imposed for crimes that do not qualify as serious under international law.

The growing number of deaths due to protests in Iran, including the deaths of two children last weekend, and the tightening response of the security forces, are indicative of the critical situation in the country, the UN high commissioner said.

According to OHCHR, more than 300 people, including more than 40 children, have been killed in Iran during the protests, and at least six people have been sentenced to death.

Large-scale protests have been taking place in Iran since mid-September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly tortured to death by the vice police for improperly wearing a hijab.