Shirin Ebadi: Bloody Suppression of November Protests Should Be Pursued in International Bodies as Soon as Possible
Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, says on the first anniversary of the November 2019 popular protests that the perpetrators and commanders of the bloody suppression of protesters should be prosecuted through international bodies.
Ms. Ebadi recently stated in an exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the suppression of the November 2019 protests that this level of violence in Iran was unprecedented, and this incident, as well as its commanders and perpetrators, should not be forgotten.
According to Ms. Ebadi, despite the insistence of Iranian civil society and international bodies, the Islamic Republic authorities have not been willing to disclose the number and names of protesters who were killed and arrested in these protests; protesters who came to the streets in a peaceful movement and whose demands were bread and work, but ended up in prison and facing the gallows.
This Iranian human rights lawyer believes that families of the deceased can seek justice through international human rights bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She told Voice of America: “International justice has taken on a broader concept over the past decade, and if someone commits crimes against humanity, they can be prosecuted in many countries.”
According to Ms. Ebadi, the most important issue is preserving evidence and documentation of the crime. She said that by preserving this evidence by families of the killed, there is hope that those who ordered the shooting of people can be prosecuted in other countries with sufficient evidence and documentation.
This Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner told Voice of America regarding the pursuit of justice for families of those killed in these protests that under current conditions in Iran, and as long as the constitution does not change, justice is in no way possible. According to Ms. Ebadi, in a country like Iran that suffers from authoritarianism and where all matters are in the hands of the supreme leader, how is it possible for the judiciary to execute justice and prosecute those who came to the streets with the permission and signal of the supreme leader to kill protesters?
One year has passed since the bloody suppression of popular protests in November 2019; protests that began on Friday, November 15, 2019, with the sudden announcement of a gasoline price increase in various Iranian cities and turned into one of Iran’s bloodiest protests in recent years through severe crackdowns and direct fire by security forces against protesters.
Shortly after these protests, Reuters news agency reported that, by order of Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, at least 1,500 protesters were killed by gunfire. The Iranian government also arrested many protesters and sentenced dozens of Iranian citizens, including Amirhosein Moradi, Saeid Tamjidi, and Mohammad Rajabi, to long prison sentences or execution.
Voice of America, on the eve of the anniversary of the November 2019 protests, spoke with some families of those killed in these protests. Some of these families, after a year of losing their loved ones, still demanded pursuit and identification of the perpetrators, commanders, and those responsible for the death of their loved ones. Others also believe that complaints will not lead anywhere and none of the officials have been held accountable in the year that has passed.
In June 2020, after more than six months had passed since the November 2019 protests, Islamic Republic authorities for the first time announced the death toll of these protests as approximately 225 people; statistics that sharply contradict international figures.
Also, Amnesty International announced the death toll of these protests as 304 people and reported that according to available evidence, at least 23 children were killed by security forces during the nationwide protests in November 2019.
On the last day of November and coinciding with the continuation of protests in Iran, President Trump protested Iran’s internet shutdown and said they want the world to remain ignorant of the deaths and disasters caused by the Iranian regime.
The White House also issued a statement supporting the protesting people in Iran and emphasized that the United States condemns the use of lethal force and severe restriction of communications against demonstrators.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also wrote to the Iranian people: “The United States stands with you.”
Source: Voice of America
