The ICJ urged today the UN Human Rights Council to enstablish an international independent accountability mechanisms to investigate into the gross violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The statement, delivered by ICJ Secretary General Saman Zia Zarifi during the 35th Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council, reads as follows:
“Mr. President,
People all over Iran have been demanding their rights under the slogan of ‘woman.life.freedom’ since the death of Mahsa Amini in security forces’ custody on 16 September 2022 for allegedly failing to comply with hijab-wearing rules.
The Iranian Government has cracked down on demonstrators with excessive force, killing at least 348 people, including at least 50 children, so far. Thousands of people have been arrested, and many among them subjected to torture, including through sexual and gender-based violence. Lawyers have been arrested and intimidated simply for defending their clients, with a reliant judiciary acting as an instrument of repression.
Several UN Special Procedures have called on the Council to establish “an international investigative mechanism, to ensure accountability in Iran and to end the persistent impunity for grave human rights violations.”
The International Commission of Jurists supports establishing an international, independent and impartial investigation to:
- Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the serious human rights violations committed in Iran since 16 September 2022;
- Collect, consolidate, analyze, and preserve evidence of such violations, to be shared with relevant international and national jurisdictions;
- Identify those responsible and recommend measures to ensure accountability, including through criminal prosecutions;
- Make recommendations to prevent the occurrence of similar violations in the future.
Thank you.”
Contact:
Massimo Frigo, ICJ Reprentative before the United Nations, t: +41797499949, e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org