Amnesty International: Islamic Republic must end illegal detentions
Amnesty International has called on the authorities in the Islamic Republic to respect the freedom of peaceful protest. Numerous reports show that the Iranian government uses weapons against civilian demonstrators and tortures prisoners.
Amnesty International has called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to respect the right of Iranian citizens to peacefully protest.
The human rights organization said on Wednesday (August 8) that reports show that Iranian government agents are using firearms against unarmed protesters, illegally imprisoning and mistreating hundreds of people.
According to official Iranian government reports, at least 22 people have been killed since the January protests. Their only “crime” was peacefully chanting slogans against poverty, high prices, repression, and corruption in Iran.
“Government officials have the right to defend themselves, but they also have a duty to protect the safety of citizens,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director. “But by violently suppressing protestors, they are violating Iran’s legal obligations and international law.”
Amnesty International has cited the situation of Nader Afshari as a specific example. According to the family of this civil society activist, who was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence in Karaj on August 1, he has been subjected to physical and psychological pressure.
According to Amnesty International, Iranian authorities should not only release all those arrested for peaceful protests, but also bring those responsible for violating people's rights to justice and punish them.
Increased arrests and intensified repression
According to Amnesty International, the Iranian government has intensified its repressive behavior against its opponents.
According to reports received by Amnesty International, more than a thousand people have been arrested and mistreated in prison during the past few days of unrest in some Iranian cities.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 423 people have been registered in Evin Prison alone following the protest demonstrations last January.
It is said that hundreds of people are being held in the worst conditions in the "quarantine" section of Evin Prison, while this section only has a capacity for 180 people.
Source: DW
