Iran found culpable over Amini death
IRAN is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country’s ruling theocracy, a United Nations fact-finding mission has said.
A wide-ranging initial report has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council by the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
It also found that the Islamic Republic employed “unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force” to put down the demonstrations that erupted following Amini’s death, and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees.
A months-long security crackdown killed more than 500 people and saw more than 22,000 detained. There was no immediate comment on the report from Iran.
The report said: “The protests were unprecedented because of the leadership of women and youth, in their reach and longevity and, ultimately, the state’s violent response.”
Amini, 22, died in a hospital after her arrest by the country’s morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities. She was taken to a detention facility to undergo a “re-education class” but collapsed after 26 minutes and was taken to a hospital 30 minutes later, according to the report.
Iran has denied being responsible for her death or that she had been beaten
At times, authorities have pointed to a medical condition Amini had from childhood after a surgery. The UN report dismissed that as a cause of her death.
The panel “has established the existence of evidence of trauma to Amini’s body, inflicted while in the custody of the morality police”, the report said.
It stopped short, however, of blaming anyone specifically for harming Amini.