UN experts: Iran’s crackdown on protests disproportionately targets minorities
The article highlights a number of ways Iranian security forces violate the rights of minorities including through “extrajudicial executions, unnecessary use of lethal force, arbitrary arrest, torture, rape” and other crimes against humanity.
The mission says this is “direct result of long-standing discrimination“That must stop immediately.
Impact of the protest
The impact these communities have experienced “cannot be overstated” because their social structures have not changed, the campaign document said.
“Women from ethnic and religious minorities suffer disproportionate harm due to discrimination and violence against them as women and due to their status as ethnic and religious minorities,” the article said.
It continues, “The impact on children is transgenerational – Its diverse effects can be expected for decades to come.“ .
In addition to the Kurds and Baluch, Azerbaijani Turks and Ahwazi Arabs were also severely affected.
Death in custody
The protests in Iran were a result of the “extrajudicial” killing of Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, in September 2022, after she was arrested for not complying with Iran’s mandatory hijab law.
Most of the protesters involved in the movement, which will last until 2023, are from ethnic and religious minorities.
According to the campaign document, the pre-existing significant military and security presence in border areas with minority populations has created an ideal environment for the State to suppress protests, resulting in many deaths and injuries.
Failure to account
The court hearings following these protests “were marred by violations of fair and due process,” the paper said.
The investigative mission said accountability for the actions of Iranian security forces remained “elusive” due to the lack of any meaningful criminal investigation into the abuses.
Mission call “Transformational measures on reparation and accountability at the national and international levels to ensure the rights of victims.”
The international fact-finding mission consists of independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations. Dong Nhan Quy Association. Members of the Mission are not employees of the United Nations and are not paid for their work.
