The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Amid ongoing protests across Iran in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old woman, who was arrested for having “improper clothing”, the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) today expressed strong concerns about the violent response by security forces to protests.
Speaking to media at the United Nations in Geneva, OHCHR’s spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that “we at the UN Human Rights office are very concerned by the continued violent response by security forces to protests in Iran, as well as communications restrictions affecting landline and mobile usage, the Internet and social media platforms”. Ms Shamdasani added that “thousands have joined anti-government demonstrations throughout the country over the past 11 days, security forces have responded at times with live ammunition.”
Many Iranians have been killed, injured and detained during the protests which erupted following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amina. She was arrested on 13 September for allegedly not wearing a hijab in full compliance with Iran’s mandatory requirements for how women must dress.
“The women have been protesting against the compulsory hijab for four decades now, and this time around, there has been a real outpouring of support from people from all walks of life, from many different provinces across Iran”, said Ms. Shamdasani. “Women human rights defenders who have protested the use of the hijab or who have taken steps to remove it, they have for many years been targeted, intimidated, harassed, arrested, beaten up.”
OHCHR calls on Iranian authorities to ensure the rights to due process and to release those who have been arbitrarily detained during the protests now in their tenth day.
“Due in part to restrictions on telecommunications, it is difficult to establish the precise number of casualties and arrests. On 24 September, State media put the number killed at 41. Non-governmental organisations monitoring the situation have reported a higher number of deaths, including of women and children, and hundreds injured across at least 11 provinces.”
OHCHR stressed that firearms must never be used simply to disperse a demonstration. In the context of an assembly, they should only be used in cases of an imminent threat to life.
“Reports indicate that hundreds have also been arrested, including human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society activists and at least 18 journalists », said the OHCHR spokesperson. «The Government has not announced the overall number of arrests. But in the province of Gilan alone, the police chief said 739 individuals had been arrested, including 60 women during three days of protests.”
OHCHR also expressed its concern about the persistent impunity with respect to human rights violations in Iran, including the recurring deaths of protesters due to the alleged use of lethal force by security forces in November 2019, July 2021, and May 2022.
-ends-
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with panel of speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OHCHR Representative, Ravina Shamdasani: “We at the UN Human Rights office are very concerned by the continued violent response by security forces to protests in Iran, as well as communications restrictions affecting landline and mobile usage, the Internet and social media platforms. Thousands have joined anti-government demonstrations throughout the country over the past 11 days. Security forces have responded at times with live ammunition.”
- Close up shot, journalists taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OHCHR Representative, Ravina Shamdasani: “The women have been protesting against the compulsory hijab for four decades now, and this time around, there has been a real outpouring of support from people from all walks of life, from many different provinces across Iran. Women human rights defenders who have protested the use of the hijab or who have taken steps to remove it, they have for many years been targeted, intimidated, harassed, arrested, beaten up.”
- Medium shot, speaker speaking.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OHCHR Representative, Ravina Shamdasani: “Due in part to restrictions on telecommunications, it is difficult to establish the precise number of casualties and arrests. On 24 September, State media put the number killed at 41. Non-governmental organisations monitoring the situation have reported a higher number of deaths, including of women and children, and hundreds injured across at least 11 provinces.”
- Wide shot, Pan over press room with
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OHCHR Representative, Ravina Shamdasani: “Reports indicate that hundreds have also been arrested, including human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society activists and at least 18 journalists. The Government has not announced the overall number of arrests. But in the province of Gilan alone, the police chief said 739 individuals had been arrested, including 60 women during three days of protests.”
- Close up shot,
- Medium shot, cameras with camera people.
- Medium shot, speaker speaking.
- Close up shot, hands of speakers at the podium.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Gaza: Five patients evacuated as Rafah reopens while ‘too many stayed behind’ – WHO
As time is running out for thousands of critically ill patients in Gaza, hope is alive for medical evacuations to increase with the reopening of the Rafah crossing in the southern part of the Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG , OHCHR
This Sunday marks five years of crisis in Myanmar. Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights, and James Rodehaver, chief of the Myanmar team, today spoke on the conduct of recent military-imposed elections, deploring the failure to respect the fundamental human rights of the country’s citizens. The process served only to exacerbate violence and societal polarization.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Brutal Gaza war erased years of progress on education, in an “assault on the future itself” – UNICEF
Restoring Gaza’s shattered education system is “lifesaving” and getting children back into schools must be an immediate priority, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , HRC
Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, made the following remarks during a briefing to a Special Session on Iran at the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNOPS , UNIS
Amid the launch of President Trump's Board of Peace and reconstruction talks on Gaza, UN aid agencies insisted on Friday that what Gazans need most is immediate relief from the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe there.
2
6
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | HRC
At UN, war crimes probe pledges to continue to work for all impacted by Hamas-Israel conflict
As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Tuesday UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN warns against repeating abuses in South Kordofan that occurred in El Fasher.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Mozambique floods heighten disease, malnutrition risks – UN agencies
Catastrophic flooding in Mozambique is causing massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Yemen: Children are dying and it’s going to get worse, aid veteran warns
In Yemen, renewed political instability threatens and economic woes linked to the war to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UN's top aid official there said on Monday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold
Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.