Judiciary Spokesperson: Amnesty International's statistics on recent deaths are a claim
Without announcing the number of people killed in the recent protests, the Iranian judiciary spokesman called Amnesty International’s figure of “at least 304” victims a “claim” and a “propaganda scenario.” Esmaili also said that the majority of those arrested have been released.
Gholamhossein Esmaili, spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, rejected the statistics provided by Amnesty International regarding the number of victims of the November protests, calling it a "propaganda scenario" and at the same time announcing that the "majority" of those arrested had also been released.
In its latest report on the protests in Iran in the last week of November, Amnesty International put the death toll in these incidents at at least 304 people and, referring to the arrest of thousands of people, including children and adolescents, warned of the risk of torture due to the lack of information.
This human rights organization, like UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, had called for an "independent and impartial investigation" into those killed in the recent protests in Iran.
On Tuesday, December 17, the Iranian judiciary spokesman called Amnesty International’s figures “claims,” but at the same time, as in the past, he remained silent about the number of victims and detainees of the recent protests. “These are false claimants of Amnesty International or human rights,” Esmaili said. “If they respect human rights, why did they devote their official platforms to encouraging and inciting attacks on Basij and police bases?”
A spokesman for the Islamic Republic's judiciary told Amnesty International: "These are people whose countries' officials supported the rioters, and the issues they raise are nothing more than allegations. We consider it a propaganda scenario."
Reaction to “Discovery of Protesters’ Bodies in Dams and Rivers”
According to ISNA, at today's press conference, the spokesperson for the Iranian Judiciary also raised this question: "A number of people who were killed and whose names were among the missing in the November events were found in floods and rivers, and their bodies had signs of torture. Has the Judiciary entered this case or not?"
Without confirming or denying this news, Gholamhossein Esmaili implicitly attributed it to “the ill-wishers of the system” and a “conspiracy” and said: “First of all, the judiciary intervenes in every suspicious death. Wherever a body is discovered, even if a person dies of a stroke, we intervene; therefore, we investigate all suspicious deaths and nothing remains hidden. However, whether it is included in the story of killings and statistics and figures is another matter. Attributing such cases indicates that the ill-wishers of the system intend to constantly create challenges for this system and the people, and you and I must be vigilant so as not to be deceived by their conspiracy.”
In recent days, unconfirmed reports have been published about the discovery of the bodies of several protesters in dams and rivers in different parts of Iran. These reports and images, which were published on some sites, especially by social media users, included the discovery of one body in the “Garan” dam in Marivan, one body in the Karun River in Ahvaz, and five bodies in dams in Kurdistan.
Call for a “Special Session” of the Human Rights Council on Iran
In another part of his speech today, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary also stated that “we intend to limit the detainees to thugs, criminals, economic corruptors, and drug traffickers,” and claimed: “The majority of those detained in recent incidents have been released to date. The previous number that I mentioned in the previous meeting has been reduced to 50 percent. We intend to limit the detainees to thugs, criminals, economic corruptors, and drug traffickers.”
This judicial official, like other officials of the Islamic Republic, did not provide statistics on the number of people arrested in the recent protests. The spokesman for the National Security Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly had previously stated that the number of people arrested in these incidents was “about seven thousand people.”
Protests that began across Iran following a threefold increase in gasoline prices on November 14 quickly took on a political dimension and targeted the entire Islamic Republic system. However, Iranian security and law enforcement forces, in the shadow of an internet blackout and the absence of a free press, violently suppressed the protests.
Amnesty International, while announcing that “at least 304” people were killed in recent Iranian protests, has emphasized that the actual number of victims could be higher. The website Kaleme, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, also reported the number of victims as 366, citing an “informed source.”
Meanwhile, 23 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Iran Human Rights Campaign, have called for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to launch an independent investigation into the critical human rights situation in Iran during and after the November protests.
Source: DW
