'Justice and Accountability': Iran's Protest Crackdown Victim as Witness at UN

Zaniar Tondro, a victim of the bloody crackdown on Iran's nationwide protests in 2022, views the United Nations fact-finding mission's report as "a stride toward justice and accountability."

The summary of the fact-finding committee's report on the Islamic Republic's actions was released on March 8.

On Monday, a meeting will start to scrutinize the specifics of this report, and representatives from various countries, including Iran, will be in attendance.

During the nationwide protests in November 2022, 17-year-old Zaniar was directly targeted in the Kurdish town of Piranshahr by the security forces of the Islamic Republic and lost his right eye.

Despite having multiple pellets lodged in his head, around his spinal cord, and other parts of his body, doctors deemed it unsafe to attempt their removal.

Currently in Geneva, Zaniar and other eyewitnesses will testify at the headquarters of the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the actions of the Iranian government against protesters.

In an interview with IranWire, Zaniar expressed his satisfaction with the UN fact-finding mission's report, believing it paints a dark picture of the Islamic Republic's global image. 

He sees it as "a positive step towards achieving justice and accountability, particularly for the atrocities committed against the Iranian people."

While Zaniar is pleased to testify and shed light on these crimes, he remains saddened by the "ongoing suffering endured by the Iranian populace."

The UN fact-finding mission's report has brought Zaniar a sense of happiness, as he believes it marks progress in revealing "the evils perpetrated by the Islamic Republic and the extent of the harm inflicted upon innocent individuals."

The mission's report confirmed that the security forces of the Islamic Republic resorted to unnecessary and arbitrary use of force, resulting in the illegal killing and injuring of protesters. It also confirmed that the majority of the protests were peaceful.

Echoing this sentiment, Zaniar emphasized that protesters "were unarmed and only exercising their right to peaceful assembly." 

He asserted that they "did not resort to violence, despite facing brutal repression from government forces armed with various weapons."

Zaniar emphasized that the Iranian people were protesting "for fundamental change, the removal of the Islamic Republic, and for freedom."

The report from the UN fact-finding mission confirmed that the severe eye injuries inflicted on protesters resulted in numerous women, men, and children being blinded, marking them as protesters for life.

Speaking to IranWire, Zaniar recalls the moment his body and eyes were struck: "I felt something exploded in my head. I tried to stand up three times, but each time I fell face-first. They [forces] dragged me across the asphalt and threw me into their car. When I began bleeding profusely, they abandoned me, and it was the bystanders who rushed me to the hospital."

According to the UN report, the Islamic Republic's forces deliberately aimed their gunfire at the protesters. 

"I was hit by two bullets," Zaniar said. "The first bullet struck my shoulder. The officer had the option to aim at my leg or fire a warning shot into the air, but instead, they intentionally targeted me. I witnessed them aiming their firearms directly at people's eyes."

He considers his damaged eye as "a badge of honor," openly displaying it without a prosthetic. 

He is set to testify as both a plaintiff and a witness at the UN human rights headquarters on March 18 and condemn the presence of representatives from the Islamic Republic who have violated human rights. 

He views their appearance "as an affront to the principles of human rights."

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 the forces, "thereby committing unlawful and extrajudicial killings."

"One day, you will be held accountable, and you will answer for your actions in the court of justice," Zaniar said, referring to the Iranian authorities.