UN Fact-Finder Urges Iran to Examine Report on Rights Violations

Shaheen Sardar Ali, a Pakistani member of the United Nations fact-finding mission tasked with investigating the suppression of the 2022 protests in Iran, emphasized the importance of thoroughly reviewing the mission's report.

In an interview with IranWire, she urged the authorities of the Islamic Republic, as well as all parties involved, to carefully examine the report and take meaningful steps towards achieving justice.

"We would like the world to know and the government of the people of Iran to know that this entire year, we have dedicated ourselves to trying and develop a picture of the truth," she said. "We have tried of very best to be impartial and to be independent and the reason for this is that we wanted truth and justice for the victims."

"The victims were not just people who were in the protests and who were persecuted and imprisoned and were executed. They included innocent bystanders too," she added.

Addressing the urgent need for justice for the victims of protests and persecution in Iran, she emphasized, "For us, every human life is valuable and precious and important. And therefore, we would like everyone to read our report closely and to take it to the next level of implementation of accountability because these victims and their families are looking for justice"

The UN fact-finding committee's report highlights numerous instances of human rights violations perpetrated by the Islamic Republic during the protests of 2022-2023.

The UN report found that Iranian security forces used shotguns, assault rifles, and submachine guns against demonstrators "in situations where there was no imminent threat of death or serious injury" to them, "thereby committing unlawful and extrajudicial killings."

The report, released on March 8, also said that authorities resorted to "unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force" to quell protests erupting after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody.

"The mission has … established that many of the serious human rights violations … amount to crimes against humanity – specifically those of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts," the report said.

It also said Iranian security forces were found to have sexually assaulted detainees during the months-long uprising.

"The security forces played on social and cultural stigma connected to sexual and gender-based violence to spread fear and humiliate and punish women, men and children," the report said.

Sardar Ali further elaborated on the challenges faced by the truth-seeking committee in her discussion with IranWire, stating, "One of the first things we did was to get in touch with the government of Iran through the permanent representative in Geneva. And throughout our mandate, we have written 21 detailed long letters asking for very detailed information. We were very clear that for us to be able to be impartial and independent, we would like to allow the Islamic Republic of Iran to share with us any information in this regard."

"However, the biggest challenge that we faced was that the government of Iran did not wish to engage with us," she added.

Sardar Ali also lamented the mission being denied access to Iran due to the Islamic Republic's non-cooperation. A significant challenge stems from the Iranian government's refusal to engage, according to her.

Moreover, Sardar Ali highlighted some of the report's findings, including evidence of deliberate targeting of protesters.

"For me, the one that stood out and I wouldn't [forget], I mean, each one has their own depth of tragedy, but one that really touched my heart was this young boy, [who] was a student, and he was in the protest. We asked him, so why did you go to the protest? You're a young man. Wasn't this only for women?"

"He said 'It could be my sister, it could be my mother, it could be my aunt. And I went out in solidarity.' He had been shot in the eye and he had lost his sight in one eye. And yet he was very, very, enthusiastic and believed in the movement even at such great cost," she recalled.

The fact-finding mission, drawing from its investigations, has reported that the security forces of the Islamic Republic employed "unnecessary and arbitrary coercive measures resulting in the unlawful killing and injury of protesters."

Hundreds of Iranians have sustained severe eye injuries after being hit by pellets, tear gas canisters, paintball bullets, or other projectiles used by security forces amid a bloody crackdown on four months of primarily peaceful anti-government demonstrations.

The exact number of traumatic injuries to protesters' eyes is unknown, but Iranian doctors are reportedly overwhelmed by the number of ocular trauma cases, including ruptured globes, severed optic nerves, and damaged retinas.