Mahtab Keramati says she informed UNICEF about the killing of children during Iranian protests
Mahtab Keramati, a film actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Iran, responded to criticism of silence and inaction regarding the killing of children in various parts of Iran during the "suppression" of recent protests, saying that she had informed UNICEF officials about these cases.
On Thursday, October 4, Ms. Keramati published a note on her official Instagram account, condemning "any violence against people, especially women and children."
He wrote: "I am also aware of the heartbreaking reports of the killing, injury, and arrest of a number of children and adolescents during the protests and the use of children under the age of 18 to confront the protesters."
The well-known Iranian film actor emphasized that he has raised all of these issues with officials from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Iran and is "following up" on this matter.
He concluded by stating that his silence on social media regarding the current events in Iran over the past few days was not due to "passivity and inattention."
Ms. Keramati also attached pictures of nine children killed during the protests, including Nika Shakerami and Sarina Esmailzadeh, to her note.
According to the Iranian Human Rights Organization, at least nine of those killed since the start of a new round of nationwide protests in Iran in less than a month were under the age of 18.
In this context, Ashkan Pouyan, a neurosurgeon in Zahedan, published a picture of a bullet he removed from the body of one of the victims of the massacre in the city on October 28, and announced in an Instagram story that "a thirteen-year-old child was also shot during the protests in Zahedan."
Amnesty International also confirmed on Wednesday that children were killed during the "repression" by the Islamic Republic's security forces and called for an international investigation into the killing of protesters in Iran.
On the other hand, on October 4, a statement signed by hundreds of members and supporters of the "Imam Ali Society" announced that the Islamic Republic government had used a number of poor children to "suppress" protesters on the streets of Iran by giving them "a few bags of food."
In recent days, as nationwide protests continue in Iran, the publication of images of children under the age of 18 wearing helmets and batons on some streets of Tehran, which were used to suppress protesters over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Ershad patrol, has caused controversy.
This is not the first time that the Islamic Republic has exploited children to advance its goals.
In addition to various protests, during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, a large number of children were sent to the front lines as soldiers and lost their lives in the fighting.
Source: Radio Farda
