As many as 23 children have been killed in ongoing mass protests in Iran, a spokesperson for the United Nations human rights office told a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday (October 18).
“Some sources suggest that as many as 23 children have been killed and many others injured in at least seven provinces,” said the spokeswoman of the High Commissioner for human rights, Ravina Shamdasani.
The deaths were caused by live ammunition, metal pellets at close range, and fatal beatings, the rights office said, adding that an unspecified number of children had been arrested during school raids, and some sent for psychological treatment.
“We call on the Iranian authorities to hold prompt, impartial and independent investigations into all alleged violations, including the killing of children, and to ensure those responsible are prosecuted. Broadly, we urge the authorities to address the underlying causes of the grievances of the population instead of using violence to suppress the protests,” Shamdasani said.
The protests in Iran were sparked after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Kurdistan province in northwest Iran, died on September 16 in the custody of the Islamic Republic's morality police.
She had been detained for violating strict codes requiring women to dress modestly in public.
Comments (0)