A United Nations fact-finding mission has said that Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and sparked nationwide protests.
On September 16, 2022, Amini died in the custody of morality police after being arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress rule for women.
In its first report, the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran said on Friday, March 8, that violations of international law during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, including extra-judicial killings, excessive force use, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture, and gender persecution.
The mission discovered that human rights violations disproportionately affect women, children, and ethnic and religious minorities, with gender persecution intersecting with discrimination based on ethnicity and religion.
“These acts form part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in Iran, namely against women, girls, boys and men who have demanded freedom, equality, dignity, and accountability,” said Sara Hossain, who chairs the fact-finding mission.
“We urge the government to immediately halt the repression of those who have engaged in peaceful protests, in particular women and girls.”
Rather than conducting a proper investigation into Amini’s unlawful death, Tehran “actively obfuscated the truth”, and denied justice, the mission said.
Credible figures suggest that as many as 551 protesters were killed by the security forces, among them at least 49 women and 68 children. Most deaths were caused by firearms, including assault rifles.
The fact-finding Mission discovered disproportionate use of force by security forces, leading to unlawful protestor deaths and injuries, including eye injuries, and evidence of extrajudicial killings.
Security forces repressed protests by arresting individuals for various demands, including women’s rights, equality, and accountability. Many were blindfolded and taken away, while hundreds of children, some as young as 10, were separated from their families.
The mission discovered Tehran had arbitrarily executed nine young men from December 2022 to January 2024, with dozens still at risk of execution or death sentence due to protests.
“State authorities at the highest levels encouraged, sanctioned, and endorsed human rights violations through statements justifying the acts and conduct of the security forces,” the report added.
The mission urges states to apply universal jurisdiction to international crimes, establish victim funds, and provide protection, including asylum and humanitarian visas for Iran protesters.
“We urge the Iranian authorities to halt all executions and immediately and unconditionally release all persons arbitrarily arrested and detained in the context of the protests, and to end the repression of protesters, their families, and supporters of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,” said Shaheen Sardar Ali, a member of the fact-finding mission.
