IRAN - At least 76 protesters killed by security forces

IRAN - From left, Mahsa Mogouii, Hannaneh Kia, Hadiss Najafi

27 September 2022 :

At least 76 protesters are confirmed to have been killed by security forces. On the 11th day of unrest after the killing of the young Masha Amini. Most families have been forced to quietly bury their loved ones at night and pressured against holding public funerals. Many families were threatened with legal charges if they publicised their deaths. Internet disruptions continue to cause delays in reporting.
Videos and death certificates obtained by Iran Human Rights confirm live ammunition is being directly fired at protesters.
Iran Human Rights warns of the continued killing of protesters and the use of torture and ill-treatment against detainees to force false televised confessions and calls for urgent united action by the international community. Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “The risk of torture and ill-treatment of protesters is serious and the use of live ammunition against protesters is an international crime. We call on the international community to decisively and unitedly take practical steps to stop the killing and torture of protesters.” He added: “The world must defend the Iranian people’s demands for their fundamental rights.”
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least 76 people have been killed in the nationwide protests sparked by the police murder of Mahsa Amini last week. At least six women and four children are amongst those killed. Protests took place in Tehran, Yazd and Karaj yesterday despite the bloody crackdown.
Deaths have been recorded in 14 provinces: Mazandaran: 25 people; Gilan: 10 people; Western Azerbaijan: 11 people; Kermanshah: 6 people; Kurdistan: 6 people; Alborz: 4 people; Tehran: 3 people; Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad: 2 people; Isfahan: 2 persons; Khorasan-Razavi: 2 persons; Zanjan: 2 people; Semnan: 1 person; Qazvin: 1 person; Ilam: 1 person; East Azerbaijan: 1 person
At the time of writing, the Islamic Republic’s IRIB has confirmed 41 deaths.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights from the victims’ of police violence and having reviewed video evidence, security forces have been using disproportionate force and live ammunition to suppress peaceful protests in the last few days, a clear and gross violation of international law.
It is not known how many protesters were arrested but hundreds are estimated to have been arrested in the bloody crackdowns across Iran. There is precedent in the use of torture and ill-treatment to obtain false forced confessions.
Many human rights defenders and activists have been arrested in the last few days.
Internet access has also either been severely disrupted or completely cut over the last five days. Instagram, WhatsApp, Signal, Google Play and the App Store are all down and their websites have been filtered.
Mahsa (Jina) Amini was a 22-year-old girl from Saqqez (Kurdistan) who had travelled to Tehran with her family to visit relatives in Tehran when she was arrested by Guidance Patrol officers on September 14. Shortly after, she fainted at the Vozara police station and went into a coma. According to witness testimonies, Mahsa was beaten by the arresting officers in the police van and later at the police station. She was officially declared to have died at Kasra Hospital on September 16.
Some of the reports from Iran contain the names of martyrs, including brave young women.
Aysan Madan Pasand, September 19, 2022, in Tabriz, died due to a beating by security forces. The regime intimidated and ordered Aysan’s family to declare that their daughter had a physical illness!
Ghazaleh Chalavi, 33, September 20, in Amol; shot by security forces in the forehead.
Minoo Majidi, 62, September 20, in Kermanshah; shot by security forces.
Hannaneh Kia, 23, September 20, in Nowshahr, was shot by security forces.
Hadiss Najafi, 20, September 20, in Mehrshahr of Karaj; shot by security forces.
Mahsa Mogouii, 16, September 20, in Fuldshahr, Isfahan; shot by security forces.
Hediyeh Naimani, 25, September 22, in Nowshahr; shot and wounded by security forces on Hafez Street and died in the hospital due to the severity of her injuries.