Kategorie: Humans

The bravery of protesters facing a spiralling deadly response by the Iranian security forces over the past days after the death of Mahsa Amini reveals the extent of outrage in Iran over abusive compulsory veiling laws, unlawful killings, and widespread repression, Amnesty International said today.

Evidence gathered by the organization from the past two nights of fresh violence in 20 cities and 10 provinces across Iran points to a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters. With the death toll reaching at least 30 people, four of them children, the organization reiterated its calls for urgent global action, warning of the risk of further bloodshed amid a deliberately imposed Internet black out.

On the night of 21 September alone, shootings by security forces left at least 19 people dead, including at least three children. Amnesty International has reviewed photos and videos showing deceased victims with horrifying wounds in their heads, chests and stomachs.

“The rising death toll is an alarming indication of just how ruthless the authorities’ assault on human life has been under the darkness of the internet shutdown. There is no such thing as “an impartial investigation” within Iran. UN member states must go beyond toothless statements, hear the cries for justice from victims and human rights defenders in Iran and urgently set up an independent UN investigative mechanism,” said Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International

The anger expressed on the streets has also shown how Iranians feel about the omnipresent so-called ‘morality police’ and compulsory veiling laws. It is high time for these discriminatory laws and the security forces enforcing them to be completely removed from Iranian society, for once and for all.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

“The anger expressed on the streets has also shown how Iranians feel about the omnipresent so-called ‘morality police’ and compulsory veiling laws. It is high time for these discriminatory laws and the security forces enforcing them to be completely removed from Iranian society, for once and for all.”

Amnesty International has recorded the names of 19 people including three children shot dead by security forces on 21 September. The deaths of a further two people, including a 16-year-old bystander, have also been confirmed on 22 September. Further deaths are being investigated.

Echoing growing frustration at the international community’s failure to take meaningful action to address successive waves of protest killings in Iran, the father of Milan Haghigi, a 21-year-old man killed by security forces on 21 September, told Amnesty International: “People expect the UN to defend us and the protesters. I, too, can condemn [the Iranian authorities], the whole world can condemn them but to what end this condemnation?”

According to eyewitness accounts, security forces involved in the deadly shootings include Revolutionary Guards agents, paramilitary Basij forces and plainclothes security officials. These security forces have fired live ammunition at protesters with the intention of dispersing, intimidating and punishing them or preventing them from entering state buildings. This is prohibited under international law which restricts the use of firearms to instances where their use is necessary in response to an imminent threat of death or serious injury, and only when less extreme means are insufficient.

In addition to the 19 people killed on 21 September, Amnesty International has recorded the names of two other people killed by security forces in Dehdasht, Kohgilouyeh and Bouyer Ahmad province on 22 September, including a 16-year-old bystander.

Since nation-wide protests were triggered by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini after being violently arrested by Iran’s “morality police” in connection with discriminatory and degrading compulsory veiling laws, Amnesty International has recorded the names of 30 people killed by security forces: 22 men, four women and four children. The organization believes the real death toll is higher and investigating further.

Deaths were recorded in Alborz, Esfahan, Ilam, Kohgilouyeh and Bouyer Ahmad; Kermanshah; Kurdistan, Manzandan; Semnan; Tehran, West Azerbaijan provinces.

West Azerbaijan province

This province had one of the highest tolls on the night of 21 September with the death of at least three men and two children. They include Sadrodin Litani, Milan Haghighi and 16-year-old Amin Marefat in Oshnavieh; and Danesh Rahnama and 17-year-old Abdollah Mahmoudpour in the village of Balou.

A human rights defender shared with Amnesty International the written account of a protester from Ohshnavieh who described how on 21 September, Revolutionary Guards agents randomly fired live ammunition at protesters while they were attempting to enter the Office of the Governor. The protester said: “Revolutionary Guards agents attacked people and as a result of shooting directly [towards protesters] with firearms, three people lost their lives… They included Sadroddin Litani, who was shot in his stomach and neck from a distance of several metres and Amin Marefat who was shot in his heart … the bullet exited through his back.”

Amnesty International reviewed a corroborating video showing a bullet hole in the back of Amin Marefat’s dead body.

The father of the third victim from Oshnavieh, Milan Haghighi, told Amnesty International that he died from fatal gunshot wounds including in his leg and torso.

According to information shared with Amnesty International by human rights defenders with contacts on the ground, the deadly shootings in the village of Balou took place in front of the Basij headquarters there. The organization obtained a voice message from an eyewitness saying: “They [security forces] are directly killing us.”

Kohgilouyeh and Bouyer province

Two eyewitnesses from Dehdasht told Amnesty International that 16-year-old bystander, Pedram Azarnoush, was shot dead on 22 September after Revolutionary Guard agents began repeatedly randomly firing live ammunition to disperse protesters. The same night, locals said security forces had killed a second man identified as Mehrdad Behnam Vasl.

One of the two eyewitnesses told Amnesty International: “The young boy was leaning on a wall and he was only looking at people. The protesters were fleeing, and he did not realize that bullets could come in his direction as well … The security forces were repeatedly firing their weapons in all directions, and everyone was at risk of being shot or not, it was sheer luck whether they [escaped] being hit by a bullet or not.”

The eyewitnesses said the Revolutionary Guards forces had hidden among trees in a square in Deshdasht and faced no threat when they began shooting at chanting protesters.

Witnesses said several people also sustained serious gunshot wounds from security forces firing live ammunition, including a 13-year-old boy, Amirali Douhandeh, who was shot in the leg. They reported that security and intelligence officials have established a strong presence at Emam Khomeini hospital in Dehdasht, heavily guarding a section where injured protesters are being treated.

Semnan province

Information gathered about Garmsar, Semnan province points to a similar pattern of reckless shooting by security forces resulting in the death of at least one young protester, Mehdi Asgari, on 21 September in front of a police station.

In video footage purportedly of the incident, which was circulated online, protesters are seen coming under fire while throwing stones at the police station and kicking its entrance door. Amid the sound of gunfire, two protesters are seen falling to the ground. A second video from the same incident reviewed by Amnesty International shows one protester lying lifeless and bleeding on the ground.

Mazandaran province

At least six men and one woman are recorded as having been killed in this province. Their names are Mohsen Mohammadi killed in Ghaemshahr; Hannaneh Kia, Hossein Ali Kia and Mehrzad Avazpour killed in Noshahr; Mohammad Hosseinikhah killed in Sari; Milad Zare killed in Babol; and Amir Norouzi killed in Bandar-e Anzali.

A journalist reported that according to two friends of Hannaneh Kia, she was fatally shot on her way from a doctor’s visit.

Methodology

To investigate the ongoing protest crackdown, Amnesty International has so far spoken to and received audio-visual evidence from 30 individuals including 10 eyewitnesses, six protesters and one victim’s relative as well as four human rights defenders and nine journalists outside in Iran who were in turn in contact with primary sources on the ground.

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Reacting to news that “voting” has begun in the Russian-occupied areas of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine on whether to join the Russian Federation, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“These so-called ‘referenda’ are a ruse for Russia to illegally annex occupied Ukrainian territory, which would be another escalation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and further evidence of the Kremlin’s profound disregard for international law and the rights of people in the territories under its occupation. The Fourth Geneva Convention expressly prohibits annexation of occupied territory and other acts by the occupying power to deprive the occupied population of the protection of the Convention.”

“These so-called ‘referenda’ and any annexation by Russia that follows have no validity under international law, and, whatever Russia claims as a result, such actions will not change the legal status under international law of the territories Russia occupies.

These so-called ‘referenda’ and any annexation by Russia that follows have no validity under international law, and, whatever Russia claims as a result, such actions will not change the legal status under international law of the territories Russia occupies

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“Russia must respect its obligations as the occupying power under international humanitarian law and cease immediately all unlawful actions. It must also immediately end its aggression against Ukraine. All those responsible for crimes under international law, including war crimes, must face justice.”

Background

Earlier this week, Russian authorities and their proxies in the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine, announced their intention to hold “referenda” on accession to the Russian Federation.

On 23 September, representatives of the occupying authorities started making home visits to collect “ballots” from residents. The “referenda” are expected to take five days. Occupying Russian authorities have said that on the fifth and final day of the “referenda” on 27 September so-called polling stations would be open, but not before for security reasons.

Any attempt by Russia to change the legal status of the territories it controls in Ukraine through occupation, including in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, are a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, and a violation of the right of their population under international humanitarian law.

Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “Protected persons who are in occupied territory shall not be deprived, in any case or in any manner whatsoever, of the benefits of the present Convention by any change introduced, as the result of the occupation of a territory, into the institutions or government of the said territory, nor by any agreement concluded between the authorities of the occupied territories and the Occupying Power, nor by any annexation by the latter of the whole or part of the occupied territory.”

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Viet Nam’s government must immediately investigate allegations that prison authorities beat and shackled an activist serving an eight-year prison sentence, Amnesty International said today.

“Being beaten, placed in solitary confinement and shackled for days on end amounts to torture or other ill-treatment. Authorities in Viet Nam must urgently investigate these allegations and any perpetrators must be held accountable,” said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns. 

Being beaten, placed in solitary confinement and shackled for days on end amounts to torture or other ill-treatment.

Ming Yu Hah, Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns

Activist Trinh Ba Tu was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021 for spreading propaganda against the state, a part of the criminal code routinely used to suppress dissent. His mother and brother, also activists, received similar sentences under the same charge and are also in prison. The family had used social media to raise awareness about land rights among other issues.  

According to information gathered by Amnesty International, Tu said he had been punished for filing a report about conditions in the prison, called No. 6, in Nghe An province. 

On 6 September 2022, he was allegedly placed in a room for four to six hours, beaten by prison staff, and held in solitary confinement for 10 days with his feet shackled. He went on a hunger strike to protest his mistreatment. 

“No person should ever be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The reports about the state of Trinh Ba Tu’s health are also extremely concerning. Amnesty International calls on authorities in Viet Nam to immediately drop charges against Tu and release him and his family members. 

“Vietnamese authorities have a long history of targeting Tu and his family for their peaceful activism and work to expose injustice. They should drop charges against anyone imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression.” 

Background: 

In May 2021, Trinh Ba Tu and his mother, Can Thi Theu, were both sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ probation after being convicted by the People’s Court of Hoa Binh province under Article 117 for “making, storing, or spreading information, materials or items for the purpose of opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.” 

In December 2021, his brother, Trinh Ba Phuong, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment followed by five years’ probation under the same charge. 

Tu’s mother Can Thi Theu is a well-known land rights activist and human rights defender in Viet Nam. She became an activist after her family’s land was confiscated by the authorities in 2010 and became a leading figure of the land rights movement. His father has also spent time in prison for his activism. 

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Responding to the detention of at least 1,386 peaceful protesters who took part in rallies across Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s call to mobilize additional troops to fight in Ukraine, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“As President Vladimir Putin seeks to boost the dwindling supply of troops for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Russians across the country have peacefully marched on the streets protesting against mobilization and the war. They are raising their voices even amid the stifling of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and as new repressive laws criminalize all forms of anti-war activity.

“Everyone has the right to freely express their opinions and protest peacefully, including in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. All those detained solely for peacefully protesting against mobilization and the war must be immediately and unconditionally released, and all reprisals against dissenting voices in Russia should end.

“The international community must step up its efforts to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including by supporting those who are peacefully protesting against the invasion or conscientiously objecting to participate in the conflict.”

Everyone has the right to freely express their opinions and protest peacefully, including in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Background

While arresting demonstrators, police officers extensively resorted to unnecessary and excessive force against peaceful protesters, including by beating them with batons and putting them into chokeholds. In Saint Petersburg, one person suffered a broken arm after being beaten by police.

According to the independent human rights organization OVD-Info, police handed summons to enrol at military enlistment centres to several yesterday’s male detainees in Moscow and Voronezh, Central Russia. The detainees are also at risk of administrative or criminal prosecution.

Amnesty International is currently undertaking a global campaign to counter the unprecedented attacks against peaceful protesters across the world. Among other things, the campaign is urging governments to stop misusing the criminal, civil and administrative legal systems to silence and deter protesters.

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Responding to the Appeals decision by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to uphold the guilty verdicts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention, against former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns Ming Yu Hah said: 

“For all its well-documented flaws, the Khmer Rouge tribunal has shown that those responsible for crimes under international law can and will be held responsible. Today’s ruling should serve as another reminder that accountability for the most serious crimes has no expiration date. 

“The tribunal has served as an important platform for public discussion of the Khmer Rouge’s murderous reign, and as a place where victims’ voices can be heard, recorded and publicized. But as today’s ruling is set to be the court’s last, the work of supporting victims and survivors is not finished.   

“Impunity for human rights violations remains a serious problem in Cambodia today, and if authorities seek to uphold international law and human rights then they must ensure that their national court system is independent, impartial and able to make justice a feature of Cambodian society rather than an exception.” 

Background: 

The Khmer Rouge seized power in Cambodia in 1975 and governed until 1979. Experts estimate that some two million people died during their rule from starvation, sickness and murder. 

Khieu Samphan, aged 91, was the regime’s head of state. He was convicted in first instance in 2018 alongside Nuon Chea, the former second in command of the Khmer Rouge, of crimes against humanity, war crimes committed in security centers and worksites as well as the genocide of ethnic Vietnamese people. 

At the time, both were already serving life sentences after they were first convicted of crimes against humanity related to the forced population movements organized by the Khmer Rouge in a separate ECCC trial in 2014 and confirmed on appeal in 2016. Nuon Chea died in 2019. 

The ECCC, known informally as the Khmer Rouge tribunal, has completed only one other case. In 2010 Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, who operated the Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng torture chambers in Phnom Penh, was convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes. 

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