Photos of Iranian juveniles killed by security forces during “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests from September 2022

UN — “Crimes v. Humanity” by Iran’s Authorities During “Woman, Life, Freedom” Protests

Iran Protests: “They Gagged Us With Our Hijabs” — The Abuse and Rape of Detainees

UN experts have documented Iran’s crackdown on ethnic and religious minorities during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests from September 2022.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran summarized:

Violations of minority rights and the rights of members of minorities were amplified in the context of the September 2022 protests, and the Mission found that some of these amounted to crimes against humanity.

Security forces subjected minority women, men, and children arrested in connection with the September 2022 protests to rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Women belonging to ethnic and religious minorities were subjected to particularly brutal acts, including gang rape and rape with an object, in acts also amounting to torture.

The nationwide protests were spurred by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, after she was detained and reportedly beaten by “morality police” for “inappropriate attire”.

Iranian security forces killed about 550 protesters. Ten others have been executed.

The Mission highlighted the lack of accountability for victims of gross human rights violations. It held up possible mechanisms for accountability outside Iran, including universal jurisdiction and inter-state complaints under the international convention against racial discrimination.

It explained:

The impact of the protests on minorities cannot be overstated. The social fabrics of communities have been frayed. Women belonging to ethnic and religious minorities experience distinct harms that are compounded by pre-existing discrimination and violence against them both as women, as well as by virtue of their status as ethnic and religious minorities.

The investigators pointed to transgenerational impact on children, “the multifaceted harms of which may be expected for decades to come”.

Almost half of the Mission’s interviews were conducted with victims and witnesses who were members of minority groups, and a substantial number of incidents investigated took place in minority-populated provinces.