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Iranian authorities have failed to investigate serious human rights violations committed during and after the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests and continue to shield those responsible, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.
Marking the third anniversary of the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, HRW said Iran had ignored findings by a UN fact-finding mission that concluded last year’s crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and sexual violence.
“The victims and their families who suffered brutal violence at the hands of Iranian authorities have no prospects for justice, as those who should deliver redress are themselves implicated in violations and crimes,” said Bahar Saba, HRW’s senior Iran researcher. “Countries that can prosecute such cases should seek every opportunity to do so.”
HRW said Iranian courts have executed at least a dozen men linked to the protests after unfair trials, most recently Mehran Bahramian on September 6, following allegations of torture to extract confessions.
It added that compulsory hijab rules -- which led to Amini’s death -- remain in force and are enforced with measures including arbitrary arrests, denial of services, vehicle confiscations and surveillance technologies.
The group said many survivors of the crackdown have fled abroad, often facing medical complications, psychological trauma and harassment of relatives still in Iran. Survivors interviewed by HRW vowed to continue seeking justice, despite threats.
HRW urged foreign governments to use universal jurisdiction to pursue cases against Iranian officials and to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to victims stranded in neighboring states.
Iranian authorities have failed to investigate serious human rights violations committed during and after the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests and continue to shield those responsible, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.
Marking the third anniversary of the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, HRW said Iran had ignored findings by a UN fact-finding mission that concluded last year’s crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and sexual violence.
“The victims and their families who suffered brutal violence at the hands of Iranian authorities have no prospects for justice, as those who should deliver redress are themselves implicated in violations and crimes,” said Bahar Saba, HRW’s senior Iran researcher. “Countries that can prosecute such cases should seek every opportunity to do so.”
HRW said Iranian courts have executed at least a dozen men linked to the protests after unfair trials, most recently Mehran Bahramian on September 6, following allegations of torture to extract confessions.
Iranian security bodies summoned and threatened families of people killed in 2022 nationwide protests that followed the death of a young woman named Mahsa Amini in morality police custody ahead of the third anniversary, source told Iran International.
Amjad Amini, Mahsa’s father, marked the date with a message on Instagram. “Kurdistan and Iran will never forget the withering of their flowers’ smiles and beauty. We will never forget the butterflies of joy on her lips,” he wrote. The family hailed from Iran's Kurdish minority.
A concert by famed Iranian artist Sirvan Khosravi held on the grounds of what were once the Shah’s palace in Tehran has become an emblem of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement's legacy.
Videos circulating on social media show women in the audience not only discarding the compulsory hijab but dancing in unapologetically Western-style attire without a trace of enforced covering.
Iranian communities abroad staged demonstrations across Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand on Sunday to mark the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death and to honor those killed in protests since 2022.
