Amnesty International once again calls for a UN-led investigation into the November protests
Human Rights Watch announced in a report that it reiterates its call for the UN Human Rights Council to establish a UN-led investigation into serious human rights violations during and after the protests.
Human Rights Watch, in a report published on its website on Tuesday, November 17, stated that, one year after the November protests, "Iranian authorities have refused to accept any real accountability for the bloody crackdown on mass protests last year."
“A year after the November crackdown, Iranian authorities have shown no signs of accountability and continue to harass the families of those killed during the protests,” said Tara Sepehrifar, Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.
He added: “The families of the hundreds of victims, most of whom are from the more deprived sections of Iranian society, have the right to see those responsible for serious human rights violations held accountable.”
Stating that Iranian authorities are systematically suppressing efforts by those seeking justice for the bloody crackdown in November, the Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch believes that the international community must "put pressure on Iranian authorities and take action to ensure that Iran does not shirk the consequences of such a bloody crackdown."
Part of the report states that Human Rights Watch reiterates its call for the UN Human Rights Council to establish a UN-led investigation into serious human rights violations during and after the protests.
Also, on the anniversary of the November 1399 protests and the arrival of November 15, the deadliest day of clashes between security forces and the public, Amnesty International unveiled a website that displays information and documentation of the internet shutdown in order to hide the extent of the killing of protesters.
The website lists the full names of 233 of the dead, along with the dates and places of their deaths. It also notes that at least 23 of the dead were under the age of 18. The organization also said that in half of the cases, security forces' bullets hit vital organs such as the head, neck, and chest. This means that the forces were shooting with the intention of killing the protesters.
The November protests last year began on Friday night, November 14, in several Iranian cities, including Mashhad, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, and Behbahan, following a sudden increase in gasoline prices. Iranian state television announced the threefold increase in gasoline prices in the early hours of Friday. The protests were peaceful in the early hours, and people in cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz protested the high gasoline prices by turning off their cars in the streets and chanting slogans such as “The oil money was lost and spent on Palestine” and “Death to the high prices.” However, the police and security forces attacked the protesters.
In an initial response to the widespread protests in Iranian cities, the US Secretary of State tweeted on Saturday, November 15, that the United States stands with the people of Iran. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus also tweeted on Saturday, condemning the internet shutdown in Iran and addressing the Islamic Republic's officials, writing: "Let the people speak."
Source: Voice of America
