July 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The fact-finding mission of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation in Iran has expressed its concern on Wednesday about the possible approval of a bill that would imply “more severe punishments” for Iranian women and girls in case of non-compliance with the already strict regulations on the Islamic dress code.
The president of the mission, Sara Hossain, has indicated during a speech before the council that Iran “must end as soon as possible the repression exerted against the demonstrators who protest peacefully and put an end to the wave of executions and mass arrests” as a result of the protests registered after the death of the young Mahsa Amini, 22, in September 2022.
“It must respect, fulfill and protect the rights of the population of Iran, especially women and girls,” he indicated, according to a statement from the mission itself, which has warned of a possible “deterioration” of the situation in the country if “measures are not taken” to stop the violation of Human Rights.
Thus, he has pointed out that ten months have passed since Amini died after being arrested for violating the Iranian Islamic dress code. “Her family’s right to truth and justice remains unrealized and we are concerned that the ongoing investigation in Iran has fallen short,” Hossain said.
In this sense, he has qualified that “information continues to arrive about abuses and violations in relation to these protests” and has stressed that the Iranian government has announced the exoneration of some 22,000 people. “We understand that these people have been forced to admit their guilt and promise not to carry out similar acts in the future, which violates their right to freedom and free association,” the mission said in a statement.
It has also indicated that at least 26 people have been sentenced to death in connection with the protests since November 2022, while dozens more have been charged. In all, seven people have been executed in the country since Amini’s death.
“Severe punishments continue for those who are involved in the protests, even if they exercise rights protected by International Law,” lamented Hossain, who lamented that “there are many reports of harassment suffered by relatives who only seek justice for their loved ones dear ones”.
On the other hand, he has alluded to the poisonings suffered by girls in various schools in the country, something that, he has said, “is also being investigated by his team” to discern if they are acts “orchestrated as a way of punishing minors preventative way to prevent them from attending these demonstrations”.
