Iran: Two years after ‘Woman Life Freedom’ uprising, impunity for crimes reigns supreme
People in Iran continue to endure the devastating consequences of the authorities’ brutal crackdown on the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising amid systematic impunity for crimes under international law, Amnesty International said today, ahead of the two-year anniversary of the protests that saw people across Iran challenge decades of oppression and gender-based discrimination.
No effective, impartial and independent criminal investigations have taken place into the serious human rights violations and crimes under international law by Iranian authorities during and in the aftermath of the nationwide protests of September-December 2022, including security forces’ extensive and unlawful use of force and firearms. Security forces fired assault rifles, shot guns loaded with metal pellets and teargas canisters, and severely beat protesters with batons, resulting in the unlawful killing of hundreds of protesters and bystanders, including scores of children, and life-changing injuries to many more. The authorities have sought to silence relatives seeking truth and justice for the unlawful killings of their loved ones through arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, death threats and other relentless harassment.
Related: Draconian campaign to enforce compulsory veiling laws through surveillance and mass car confiscations in Iran
Two years on, the authorities have also further escalated their assault on human rights, waging a “war on women and girls” through an increasingly violent crackdown on those defying draconian compulsory veiling laws and have intensified their use of the death penalty to silence dissent.
“The anniversary of the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ uprising is a haunting reminder that countless people in Iran are still reeling from the consequences of the authorities’ brutal crackdown. Victims, survivors and their relatives continue to be denied truth, justice and reparation for crimes under international law and other grave human rights violations committed by Iranian officials during and in the aftermath of the uprising,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
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