Amnesty Requests UN Security Council Probe Into The Death Of Mahsa Amini In Iran
-
Roshan Amiri
- . September 23, 2022
- . Update: September 24, 2022 12:55 am
Amnesty International is seeking UN help to initiate an independent probe into the violence that is brewing in Iran, in the wake of the death of the young 22-year old Mahsa Amini.
Waves of violence have been rocking most parts of Iran as the country protests the death of the young girl, and women take off their hijabs and burn them in protest. Security forces have been seen using lethal force to break up even peaceful protests that have been carried out in support of Amini.
Amini is said to have died in custody, after undergoing torture and physical abuse for close to three days since imprisonment on September 16. Iranians are known for their merciless treatments in judicial custody, irrespective of the age or sex.
Read : The US sanctions Iran’s morality police after Mahsa Amini’s death
Currently, Amnesty is seeking UN Security Council intervention. “The global outpouring of rage and empathy over Mahsa Amini’s death must be followed by concrete steps by the international community to tackle the crisis of systemic impunity that has allowed widespread torture, extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings by Iranian authorities to continue unabated both behind prison walls and during protests,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Amnesty gathered eyewitness accounts and analyzed protest videos. Its findings show that security forces used birdshot and other shells against peaceful protesters in a dramatic escalation of violence.
Meanwhile, Ebrahim Raisi continues with his visit to the US and is also giving a speech at the UN. This is being seen as a gross misconduct on the part of UN member nations, who let the Iranian government representative to stand on the podium of world body that represents advocacy for human rights and democratic living.
The Amnesty International representative further added while speaking to the media that, ““Iran’s security forces will continue to feel emboldened to kill or injure protesters and prisoners, including women arrested for defying abusive compulsory veiling laws, if they are not held accountable. With all avenues for accountability closed at the domestic level, the UN Human Rights Council has a duty to send a strong message to the Iranian authorities that those responsible for crimes under international law will not go unpunished.”
