United Nations experts* said on Friday that the Islamic Revolution Court in the Tehran province of Iran had charged eight people with crimes for which they could be sentenced to death, namely “waging war against God” or “moharebeh” and “corruption on earth” on 29 October. The experts urged the Iranian government to stop using the death penalty as a tool to suppress the protests.
At least 304 people have been killed during demonstrations that started in mid-September, including 24 women and 41 children, UN experts reported. “Baluchi and Kurdish minorities have continued to be disproportionately affected by the repression,” they said.
The experts called on the Human Rights Council to take urgent steps to establish an international investigation mechanism, to ensure accountability in Iran and to end impunity for human rights violations.
The Human Rights Council will hold a Special Session on Iran during the week of 21 November at the diplomatic request of Germany and Iceland, Associated Press reported.
Germany announced that a special session was being called for “to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular regarding women and children” by sending a letter to council offices.
The nationwide protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Jîna Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iranian morality police on 16 September.
The Islamic Republic of Iran announced it would hold public trials in the capital Tehran for 1,000 demonstrators who allegedly played a central role in the ongoing mass protests in the country.
Security forces have arrested over 2,500 Kurdish civilians since the beginning of the protests, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
Among those arrested were at least 51 journalists. UN experts also stated that many of the arrested individuals remain in incommunicado detention.
*The Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
