TEHRAN – Iranian authorities have committed violations since protests erupted last year that may amount to crimes against humanity, a United Nations (UN) expert has warned.
Special rapporteur Javaid Rehman told the UN Human Rights Council that he was alarmed by the scale and gravity of the reported cases of murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, rape and persecution.
He called for an international fact-finding mission to investigate them.
Iran said the allegations were made up.
Protests swept across the Islamic Republic in September following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.
Iran’s state coroner attributed her death to pre-existing medical conditions, but Mr Rehman said the evidence established that she died “as a result of beatings” by members of the morality police.
“State authorities have characteristically denied any wrongdoing or misconduct on their part and presented the results of the so-called investigations that were neither credible nor transparent,” he added.
Authorities have portrayed the women-led protests against the clerical establishment as “riots” and responded with what Mr Rehman described as “brutal” violence. (BBC)
