A coalition of individuals affected by the government crackdown amid the 2022 demonstrations for "Women, Life, Freedom" has launched a first-of-its-kind judicial filing naming forty specified Iranian authorities of suspected human rights violations.
Judicial Move Initiated in Argentina
The application for a judicial probe to be initiated was filed within the Argentine judicial framework. This move was undertaken by a collective of Iranian nationals aided by a non-profit advocacy organization. Argentina's courts are recognized for hearing universal jurisdiction claims.
The filing asserts that the reaction from Iranian authorities to the unrest entailed "discharging lethal rounds, non-lethal projectiles, steel shot not intended for crowd control, and other projectiles at demonstrators." The document further states mass arrests, custodial torture, and executions of individuals that allegedly persist to this day.
Confidential Names
Certain agents across the range of Iran's security services have been identified in the filing, but their identities are currently being maintained under seal.
Individual Accounts Fuel the Legal Action
One of the litigants, residing in the United Kingdom Mahsa Piraei, stated that the purpose "is not personal vengeance in a personal sense, but responsibility and fact-finding." Her parent, Minoo Majidi, in her sixties, was shot dead in late 2022. Forensic analysis indicated more than 167 harmful shots had been fired into her posterior at point-blank range. She had been attending a public demonstration concerning the demise of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died in custody.
Piraei, among Majidi's three children, was living abroad at the moment of her mother's brutal death. She traveled back to Iran at great risk to visit her grave. Her sister Roya posted a picture of herself by their resting place with her hair shaved on a restricted social media account. A friend published the photo, which spread widely, ultimately forcing Roya to flee for Turkey.
Piraei stated: "By means of legal filings and documentation the goal is to maintain records, catalogue violations and stop the disappearance." She described her loss as "systematic in nature but part of a systematic practice."
Other Litigants Include Those Shot in the Eye
The remaining litigants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both victims of loss of sight at point-blank by paintball guns.
Eftekhari, a young student, was hit in the right eye in autumn 2022. She had been demonstrating for an extended period, seeing fellow demonstrators being hit by bullets and being struck herself with electronic batons. During a protest on October 12th, she was at a protest near a educational institution when a individual struck her with multiple projectiles from a range of about a yard. He then reportedly fired at her eye when she did not comply with his command to scatter. A recording of the attack with injuries from her face went viral, and she was later granted asylum in Germany.
Shahinkar, in her late thirties when assaulted on October 18th, only understood what had happened when she sensed something warm on her face. Fellow demonstrators cautioned her not to get into an emergency vehicle for fear of being transported to a authority holding area. When she later got to a health center, a worker instructed her to go away because they did not help protesters. A medical professional examined her and directed her to a hospital, where Shahinkar said a rock had accidentally injured her vision so she would not be denied treatment. She posted photos of her condition online, and in the new year, individuals confronted her, leading her to go into exile. She later was awarded a prestigious recognition as a symbol of the campaign.
Global Legal Concept Provides Basis for Complaint
The group pursuing the legal probe assert that the filing is not viewed just as a legal complaint with slim prospect of a tangible resolution. The concept permits complaints to be examined in a different state even if the violation did not occur in that nation and the accused is not located there. Argentina has notably open laws on such cases in the world.
The concept of universal jurisdiction has historically led to multiple guilty verdicts and the opening of prosecutions covering offenses committed in dozens of nations. Legal actions are presently being handled in various different countries.
As the petition is only for a criminal investigation, and this is not a civil lawsuit, there is no demand by the individuals for monetary compensation. This filing would not be the first case against Iranian authorities pursued in Argentina.
