The council, meeting during a special session to deal with the crisis stemming from the September death in police custody Jina Mahsa Amini, 22, heard Mr Türk criticize the “strong mentality of the people” holder of power” in Iran.
He stressed that the “unnecessary and disproportionate use of force” must stop.
messy image
“It breaks my heart to see what’s happening in the country,” he told the packed room. “Images of children being killed. Of women being beaten in the street. Of those sentenced to death.”
The United Nations High Commissioner highlighted how security forces, “especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces have used live ammunition, birdguns and other metal pellets, tear gas and batons. cui” to fight the protest movement, which has spread to 150 cities and 140 cities. universities in all provinces of Iran.
Before calling for an independent investigation into all allegations of rights violations, the High Commissioner noted that his Office had received “multiple communications” from Iran about the incident, “including domestic investigation”. These efforts “failed to meet international standards of fairness, independence and transparency,” said Türk.
official denial
In response to the High Commissioner’s comments, the representative of Iran, Khadijeh Karimi, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, affirmed that “necessary measures” have been taken by the Government to seek justice after Amini’s death. These include the creation of an independent congressional investigative committee as well as a forensic medical team.
“However, prior to the official announcement of the exploratory analysis, the biased and hasty reaction of some Western authorities and their interference in Iran’s internal affairs turned the peaceful gatherings turned into riots and violence,” she asserted.
Also speaking at the Special Session – the 35th of the Council since it was founded in 2005 – Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran emphasized that over the past week, efforts The force to silence protesters, including children, has been intensified.
Child victims among those killed
He said at least 60 to 70 people were killed, including five children, mostly from Kurdish areas. He also described the situation as “alarming” in the Kurdish cities of Piranshahr, Javanrood and Mahabad.
“The Iranian government has repeatedly issued unsubstantiated reports and repeated assertions that Jina Mahsa did not die as a result of any violence or beatings,” he said. “In other reports, the Government denied that security forces killed children, claiming that they committed suicide, fell from a height, poisoned or were killed by anonymous ‘enemy agents’.
These are three of an estimated 400 people who have been killed because they stood up for the right to make their own decisions.
hijab rule
Since Ms. Amini’s death after she was arrested by Iran’s Ethics Police on September 13 for not wearing a headscarf properly, more than 300 people have been killed in protests, including at least 40 children, according to the latest information from the United Nations human rights office.
At least 15,000 people have also been arrested “and the Iranian regime is now threatening the protesters with the death penalty,” said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose country originally called for the Special Session, saying: “And at star? Just because these women, men and children want to enjoy the rights we all want: to live with dignity and without discrimination.”
Echoing that message, US Human Rights Ambassador to Geneva Michèle Taylor told the Council that the Iranian people are “demanding something very simple, which most of us here take for granted: opportunity: opportunity. be talked about and heard. We applaud their courage, especially the women, girls and young people who are bravely demanding respect for human rights and accountability for abuses.”
