According to Amnesty International Report, Bodies of Some Victims Have Not Been Handed Over to Their Families

Amnesty International in its latest report states that a large number of victims’ bodies have still not been handed over to their families, and in some cases, security forces have transferred victims’ bodies to unknown locations.

Amnesty International, in a statement published on its Telegram channel, while expressing condolences to the families of those killed in recent protests in Iran, has requested from these families, activists, journalists, and all citizens who have information about the killing, detention, or torture of protesters to send any available information, documents, videos, and images related to recent protests and victims to the organization.

The human rights organization intends to collect this information in order to hold Iranian authorities accountable.

On Monday, December 25, Amnesty International announced in a report that based on information obtained from inside Iran, the death toll from recent protests in Iran has reached 143 people, almost all of whom were killed by live gunfire, with one person killed by tear gas and another who died from injuries.

According to the organization’s report, the number of deaths in Alborz province is 9, East Azerbaijan 1, Isfahan 7, Fars 15, Kerman 1, Kermanshah 34, Khuzestan 40, Kurdistan 12, Tehran 20, and West Azerbaijan 4.

This information is being released while the human rights organization believes that the death toll from recent protests that began on November 15 following fuel price increases in various Iranian cities is much higher than this figure, and it continues its investigations on this matter.

In this report, referring to the treatment of victims’ bodies by security forces and officials, it states that in some cases, when officials have handed over bodies of some victims to their families, they have demanded payment from families for various reasons, including “payment for the bullets that their loved ones were killed with” and “compensation for property destroyed in the protests.”

Amnesty International also states that according to reports received by the human rights organization, officials have stopped the treatment process of the wounded despite their need for medical care in hospitals and have transferred them to detention centers.

Previously, Raha Bahraini, researcher for the Iran section at Amnesty International, told Voice of America: Amnesty International has requested from the United Nations, the European Union, and member states of these bodies to immediately and seriously respond to these deeply concerning developments and to ask authorities to end this bloody crackdown and respect Iranians’ right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

However, Philip Luther, director of research for the Middle East and North Africa section of Amnesty International, while criticizing the international community’s response to recent protests in various Iranian cities, announced that “the cautious and silent response of the international community to the unlawful killing of protesters is highly inappropriate, and they should condemn these killings in the strongest terms.”

U.S. officials also responded to the treatment of protesters by Islamic Republic security forces regarding fuel price increases and reports of deaths and injuries among protesters.

Previously, Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative, told Voice of America: “We have seen reports of dozens of innocent Iranians being killed by the regime… The leader [Khamenei] is using the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to kill innocent Iranians.”

Meanwhile, videos sent to Voice of America reported on direct firing by officers at people in Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week at a press conference, in response to the suppression of protesters in Iran, said that America is deeply concerned about reports of several deaths and that “the world is watching the behavior of the Iranian regime.”

He added that the United States is closely monitoring ongoing protests in Iran; America strongly condemns any violent actions by the Iranian regime against the people of this country and is deeply concerned about reports of deaths.

The U.S. Secretary of State added that the Islamic Republic must refrain from using violence against its own people and immediately provide all Iranians with free internet access.

On the other hand, the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office expressed grave concern about the use of military ammunition by officers against protesters in Iran. Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, on Tuesday, November 19, expressing grave concern about the use of military ammunition by security forces in Iran against demonstrators, said that according to reports, the number of deaths in these protests has been dozens, and this casualty rate is “very serious.”

The suppression of protests in Iran continued as the government cut off internet to prevent news of the crackdown from spreading, and reports indicated widespread arrests in various cities.

Source: Voice of America