UN Experts: Mahsa Amini is a Victim of Ongoing Oppression in Iran
Independent UN human rights experts condemned the killing of Mahsa Amini in detention by the “morality police” in a special statement released on Thursday.
In their statement released Thursday, September 22, the experts expressed deep regret over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for wearing what Islamic Republic of Iran authorities consider “improper,” and referred to the young woman from Saqez as “yet another victim of ongoing oppression and repression and systematic discrimination against women” in Iran.
According to these experts, the Islamic Republic’s policies, by “imposing discriminatory dress codes, deprive women of bodily autonomy and freedom of thought and expression.”
Continuing their statement, the UN experts condemned the violence by Iranian security forces against protesters and human rights defenders who participated in peaceful gatherings across Iranian cities demanding accountability for Mahsa Amini’s death.
The experts also called on Islamic Republic officials to “refrain from further violence and cease the use of lethal force to suppress peaceful gatherings” and to “release the results of independent, impartial and prompt investigations into Mahsa Amini’s death and hold those responsible accountable.”
Since the start of public protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, the number of cities experiencing demonstrations in Iran has reached over 80 cities, and based on videos circulated on social media, security forces, special guards, and forces referred to as “plainclothes” have violently suppressed public protests.
Iran Human Rights Organization announced on Thursday that the death toll by the sixth day of protests had reached 36 people.
The UN experts in their statement referenced direct shooting by Islamic Republic security forces with buckshot and metal pellets at protesters, resulting in deaths of several demonstrators, injuries to dozens, and the arrest of hundreds.
In the report, prolonged internet outages in various Iranian cities, which mark the third widespread internet disruption in the past 12 months, are described as “unjustifiable” and aimed at “stifling freedom of expression and restricting protests.”
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Saqez who traveled to Tehran with her family to visit relatives, suffered brain death following physical assault after being detained by morality police officers and transferred to the moral security police building in Tehran, and died on September 16.
Her death was accompanied by widespread domestic and international reactions, and to date a significant number of governments, international bodies, and renowned figures in and outside Iran, as well as global public opinion, have reacted to the issue.
Source: Radio Farda
