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Protest in Iran: "The authorities have deprived the people of fundamental human rights"

Demonstration after the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini, in Tehran, September 21, 2022. AP

Text by: Guilhem Delteil Follow

3 mins

A month ago Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran.

The morality police reproached the young woman for not wearing her veil correctly.

His death, announced three days later, triggered a wave of protests across the country.

The regime responds with force.

At least 201 deaths and thousands of arrests have been recorded, according to

Iran Human Rights, a human rights organization based in Norway.

Interview with its director, Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam.

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RFI: Since last weekend, the repression has been particularly strong in the province of Iranian Kurdistan.

On Wednesday, one of the calls to demonstrate in Tehran was accompanied by the slogan "

be the voice of Sanandaj

", the provincial capital.

What news do you have from the region?

Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam:

The Internet has been cut in large areas of Kurdistan, especially in the city of

Sanandaj 

and demonstrations have taken place.

People have heard machine gun shots and of course we are very worried.

It is very difficult to get information.

So we don't know how many people have been killed in the past few days.

In general, the brutality of the Iranian regime is even more marked in regions with ethnic minorities – such as Kurdistan and Balochistan – and most of the human rights violations that occur in Iran are much more serious in these regions. .

►Also read: 

Iran: a month of protest and deadly repression

The way law enforcement agencies behaved during "Bloody Friday" clashes erupted in Zahedan, Balochistan's provincial capital, during protests following the September 30 rape of a young girl. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 93 people were killed, editor's note) must be investigated.

Because it seems that the authorities were ready.

As soon as the demonstration began, they opened fire on the demonstrators.

We know that there were subsequent arrests.

Many families have been threatened and are still threatened to remain silent.

What are the most serious human rights violations that you have noted in Iran at the moment?

The reason for all these protests is that the Iranian authorities have deprived the Iranian people of their basic human rights, and when these people come out into the streets and demand their basic human rights, the Iranian authorities respond with great violence.

Those arrested do not have access to a lawyer.

We do not know what their state of health is.

And then they are forced to make forced confessions on television.

This is not only a violation of human rights: it is also a violation of the Iranian constitution.

You regularly publish new figures of people killed and people arrested.

Do you know how close these figures can be to reality?

There are many obstacles in collecting information.

Partly because of the internet restrictions in Iran right now and partly because of the threats the families are facing.

You know, in many families, they are told “ 

we will only return your body if you remain silent 

”.

They are under pressure.

This makes documentation and information gathering very difficult for us.

So I would say that the numbers we publish are the absolute minimum.

Internet restrictions cause delays in the transfer of information, which prevents us from confirming information in a timely manner.

We get there, but with a delay.

But another big hurdle is of course personal safety.

You know, people are threatened so that they don't make waves, don't talk about their children being killed or arrested.

Investigating human rights in Iran is therefore very risky.

►Also read: Iran: the street also rises against an economy in crisis

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