The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Live ammunition reportedly used against widespread protests in Iran – UN human rights office
Reports indicating that dozens of people have been killed in protests across Iran – some by live ammunition - are of deep concern, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Tuesday.
Citing Iranian media coverage since the demonstrations began last Friday, sparked by a rise in fuel prices, OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville said that the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had acknowledged some fatalities.
“We are deeply concerned by reported violations of international norms and standards on the use of force, including the firing of live ammunition, against demonstrators in Iran during the protests that began on Friday and have continued into this week,” Mr. Colville said.
“It would suggest that it is not simply the immediate trigger to the protest which was a rise in fuel prices, but …much deeper-seated problems persisting in the country.”
More than 1,000 protesters have also been arrested, the OHCHR official added, although details were difficult to verify, since OHCHR does not have an office in the country and the Government had imposed internet restrictions.
“Overall, protests have reportedly been held in 40 or more towns and cities across the country, but again details have been hard to verify because of the shutdown of the internet late on Saturday,” Mr. Colville explained.
“There are increasing reports suggesting the numbers killed are certainly in the dozens, in at least two figures, some reports even higher. So, it would be very useful to have a better, clearer picture but it is clearly very significant, very alarming situation and widespread across the country.”
In an appeal to security officials to avoid using force, Mr. Colville called on the authorities to issue clear instructions that they should abide by international norms and standards.
Firearms should only be used in cases of an imminent threat to life or of serious injury and only when less extreme measures are insufficient to address such a threat when dispersing peaceful assemblies, he said.
Protesters should for their part carry out demonstrations without resorting to physical violence or the destruction of property, he insisted, while also calling on the Government to re-establish access to the internet immediately, as well as other forms of communication.
“We would encourage States to maintain the flow of information; if there’s false information they can rebut it, but let’s see the information,” he told reporters, noting that Iran was a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
And in reference to sanctions “imposed by the United States” that were among the serious economic challenges gripping the country, the UN human rights office spokesperson urged the authorities to “engage in meaningful dialogue” with Iranians.
“Simply responding with harsh words and an iron fist raises a significant risk not only of violating international norms and standards but also of seriously aggravating the situation to everyone’s disadvantage, including the Government’s,” he said, noting that protests “of this nature…cannot simply be brushed aside”.
- Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
- Medium shot, journalists and podium with speakers, Room III.
- Medium shot, journalists listening with earpieces, taking notes and looking at laptops, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Rupert Colville, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are deeply concerned by reported violations of international norms and standards on the use of force, including the firing of live ammunition, against demonstrators in Iran during the protests that began on Friday and have continued into this week.”
- Medium shot, UNTV members, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Rupert Colville, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Overall, protests have reportedly been held in 40 or more towns and cities across the country, but again, details have been hard to verify because of the shutdown of the internet late on Saturday.”
- Medium shot, journalists writing on their laptops, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Rupert Colville, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “There are increasing reports suggesting the numbers killed are certainly in the dozens, in at least two figures, some reports even higher. So, it would be very useful to have a better, clearer picture but it is clearly very significant, very alarming situation and widespread across the country.”
- Medium shot, journalists writing on laptops in profile, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Rupert Colville, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We don’t know the extent – we don’t know the extent of the killings, of the injuries, but it is clearly very serious and taking place in many parts of the country. And that means more than the – as in so many of these cases - it would suggest that it is not simply the immediate trigger to the protest which was a rise in fuel prices, but something much deeper-seated…problems persisting in the country.”
- Medium shot, journalists, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Rupert Colville, spokesperson, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We would encourage States to maintain the flow of information; if there’s false information they can rebut it, but let’s see the information.”
- Medium shot, journalists, Room III.
- Close up, journalist writing on notepad, podium to rear, Room III.
- Medium shot, journalists in front and rear of shot, Room III.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News , B-roll | OCHA
Gaza: ‘Worst-case scenario’ unfolds as two-month aid blockade deepens suffering - OCHA
Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency
The biggest UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR
With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Funding and supply shortfalls for the UN World Food Programme (WFP)'s work in Ethiopia will halt lifesaving treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children at the end of the month. “We are at the breaking point,” it said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.