The UN Human Rights Council Underlies A Mission Of Investigation Of Violence Against Protesters In Iran

Illustration of the UN Human Rights Council. (Wikimedia Commons/UNCTAD)

JAKARTA - The UN Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to investigate a wave of deteriorating violence against protesters in Iran.

An urgent session of the council in Geneva, Switzerland supported the formation of a fact-finding mission to report alleged violations by the regime.

It is reported that dozens of people, including five children, have died in Iran in the past week as repressive actions have increased.

UN's top commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said Iran was in a "full human rights crisis" after two months of anti-regime protests.

Turk, mengatakan lebih dari 14,000 orang telah ditangkap dan "perkirakan konservasi" adalah sekitar 300 telah meninggal, termasuk 40 anak.

"I am saddened to see what is happening in this country, a picture of children being killed, women being beaten on the streets, people being sentenced to death," he said.

A resolution passed by the council forms a new fact-finding mission, to gather evidence of a violation and ensure it can be used in court.

The mission will have a separate mandate from the UN special whistleblower for Iran, which it has denied access to the country.

The resolutions fought for by Germany and Iceland also call on Iran to take all necessary measures to prevent arbitrary arrests and killings.

"Iran demonstrators do not have seats on the Human Rights Council in Geneva and do not have their own voices at the United Nations," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"Today the UN Human Rights Council can raise its voice, for human rights inseparable in Iran," Baerbock said.

Protests in Iran were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, in Iran's moral police custody, for being deemed inappropriate dress.

UN whistleblower Javid Rehman has described indiscriminate use of force against protesters, as well as harassment of women for wearing headscarves incorrectly.

He told the council top Iranian officials showed no desire to engage with the demonstrators, but instead told security forces to use force.

"Families of children who died have been given counter-narratives of the government, they fall from altitude, suicide or are poisoned by mysterious enemy agents," he said.

"The current prison is full of people who have dreamed and worked for a better future for Iran," said Rehman.

"In the last seven days alone, the crackdown on protests has increased with at least 60 to 70 people dying," he said.

Meanwhile, Iranian delegation Khadijeh Karimi told the council the West was abusing the UN agency for political purposes.

He described Amini's death as a tragedy, but blamed the Western government and foreign provocateurs for fueling violent protests.

Thursday's special session was the first on the Human Rights Council dedicated to Iran, and the second overall this year after discussions about war in Ukraine.

It focused primarily on the suffering of Iranian women and children, after the United Nations reported at least 27 children were killed in the violence.

Several children were killed with live ammunition or beaten to death, while others were arrested in a school raid for allegedly participating in the protests.

Separately, the US said a new fact-finding mission was needed as Iran showed no desire to conduct an independent investigation.

It is known that Iranian morality police and other security forces have been sanctioned by Western powers including Britain, the US and the European Union for the protests.