UN Experts Fear Reactions To Research Resolutions To Protests Iran, Highlighting The Death Toll For Protesters

JAKARTA - The UN-appointed independent expert in Iran voiced concern the country's authorities would step up repressive measures against protesters, launching a campaign to impose the death penalty on them, following UN resolutions to investigate Tehran's violence in dealing with protests that have spread in the country.

The United Nations said more than 300 people had been killed so far and 14,000 arrested, in protests that began after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, a Kurdish woman who was arrested for being deemed inappropriate dress, in a moral police custody.

"I fear the Iranian regime will react strongly to the resolution of the Human Rights Council and this could trigger more violence and repression on their side," Javaid Rehman told Reuters.

That refers to the UN Human Rights Council vote to conduct an investigation into violence against protesters in Iran. The mission will have a separate mandate from the UN special whistleblower for Iran, which it has denied access to the country.

Tehran, through Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Lecturer, rejected the investigation last Monday and said it would not cooperate.

"Now (the authorities) have started the death penalty campaign (the protesters)," said Rehman.

Rehman further explained, so far 21 people have been arrested in the context of protests in the face of the death penalty, including a woman charged with 'unclear and widely formulated crimes', with six people having been sentenced this month.

The United Nations human rights office confirmed in an email that one of those charged with "corruption on earth for publication of lies on a large scale" was Iran's famous rapper Toomaj Salei, citing a court official.

Iran itself blames foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest. Its chief justice last month ordered the judge to impose severe penalties for the "main element of the riots".

Even before the unrest, executions escalated and UN high-ranking human rights commissioner Volker Turk said the number of this year was reported to have surpassed 400 in September, for the first time in five years.

The UN resolution is seen as one of the more assertive words in the agency's 16-year history, urging the mission to "collect, consolidate and analyze evidence".

Previous investigations launched by the council have led to war crimes, including the imprisonment of a former Syrian officer for state-backed torture in Germany this year.

Rehman said he expected a new Fact Finding Mission to provide a list of perpetrators and share them with national and regional law authorities.

"This will ensure accountability and it will provide evidence to the courts and courts," he said.

A UN document shows the mission will have 15 staff members and a budget of US$3.67 million.