The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) published a joint report on Saturday, October 8, calling for the initiation of an independent international investigation into the government murder of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the use of “lethal force” by the security forces of the Islamic Republic all over the country.
At the same day on Saturday, protestors in different Iranian cities, especially in the Kurdish regions, came back to the streets. The protests were violently suppressed by the security forces. So far, the identity of at least two of those killed in Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan province, Peyman Manbari and Dariush Alizadeh, has been confirmed by Kordpa news agency.
According to FIDH and LDDHI, the suppression of protestors since the beginning of the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising until Saturday, October 8, led to the “killing of 193 people, including 18 children, injuring many others and arresting and detaining hundreds of, mostly peaceful, protestors and civil society activists who demanded justice and accountability for Mahsa Amini’s government murder.
The joint report of these two human rights institutions states:
The protests, which began with demands for justice for Ms. Amini, the abolition of the morality police’s patrols, and the abolition of mandatory hijab, have now become a movement for freedom and democracy. [3] In many instances, women have been at the forefront of the protests. Many of them have removed their hijab, burned their headscarves, and cut their hair. Some women wearing hijab and full length chador have also joined the protests.
The report also confirms that “police and plainclothes agents have brutally cracked down on protestors using live ammunition, pellets, tear gas, water cannons, and batons to suppress the demonstrations.”
These human rights organizations also verified that the Iranian security forces “used ambulances to transport some of their personnel or the detainees”.
The bloody supression of Baloch people in Zahedan on September 30 is strongly condemned in the statement as well. On this day, which is known as the “Bloody Friday” of Zahedan, the government forces killed protestors and worshipers by using live bullets. FIDH and LDDHI write about the scale of violence that, according to Baloch activists, killed around a hundred people and injured more than 300: “Many of the victims were shot in the head and heart, most likely by snipers.”
According to the reports by The Campaign of Baloch Activists, the real number of the victims are even higher than this.
LDDHI has recorded the names of at least 193 protesters who have been killed so far during protests in various cities, including the names of at least 18 children: “This death toll includes 85 victims killed in Zahedan alone, including six children”, according to documentation by Baluch activists. The actual death toll from the protests is likely higher, as many victims have not been identified yet and sufficient information is unavailable to corroborate reports of some deaths.
In the final part of this report, the human rights organizations refer to the the killing of protestors in November 2019, criticizing that the investigation of those “crimes” has been postponed indefinitely.
These two organizations also called for targeted sanctions against responsible figures in the violent crackdown happening in Iran:
“Our organizations also urge the European Union (EU) to impose targeted sanctions on the officials responsible for the brutal suppression of protestors and reiterate their call for the international community to press the Iranian authorities to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and to respect women’s rights.”
While violent confrontation and suppression of protestors have continued, more cities have joined the protests in recent days.
