IBAHRI outrage as Iran crackdown worsens
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has expressed grave alarm and outrage at the intensified crackdown by Iranian authorities against protestors in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nationwide protests in Iran began on 28 December, sparked by soaring inflation and the collapse of the national currency, and rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations against state corruption and repression.
According to latest reports, at least 5,000 protestors have been killed since the start of the crackdown. However, obtaining accurate and up-to-date figures has been increasingly difficult due to the deliberate and ongoing internet and communications blackout since 8 January, which has severely restricted the flow of information inside the country. Iranian news and human rights organisations estimate that the true death toll may be significantly higher.
The non-governmental organisation group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) has documented mass arbitrary arrests and detentions, with over 16,000 people detained across the 186 cities where protests have occurred.
Many individuals have been subjected to incommunicado detention, with no access to lawyers or family members, placing them at acute risk of torture and other forms of ill treatment.
Live ammunition
According to reports, the security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian police force (FARAJA), have responded aggressively to the protests with the unlawful use of force and the deployment of live ammunition, military-grade weapons, shotguns firing metal pellets, water cannons and tear gas.
Demonstrators and bystanders, including children, have been gravely wounded, blinded, maimed and paralysed, suffering head and eye injuries and gunshot wounds requiring urgent medical treatment.
IBAHRI co-chair Mark Stephens CBE stated: ‘The Iranian authorities are waging a campaign of terror against their own citizens. The unlawful and excessive use of force against protestors in Iran has become state policy, in violation of Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution and Article 9 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to liberty, security and peaceful assembly."
Overwhelmed hospitals
“There are reports of overwhelmed hospitals filled with gravely wounded protesters and morgues filled with body bags as families search among the dead for loved ones under heavy security presence. This is not law enforcement – it is the organised maiming and slaughter of civilians, with attempts to conceal evidence of these crimes,” he said.
The international community must act to stop this cycle of rampant impunity, and states must urge the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Iran to the International Criminal Court to ensure perpetrators are held accountable, he added.
Meanwhile, the European Young Bar Association (EYBA) has expressed its full and unwavering support for a joint statement of appeal to the EU and international institutions in defence of protestors in Iran.
This initiative was initially promoted by Italian lawyers, whose defence of fundamental rights prompted the wider European legal community to act collectively.
The EYBA said it is proud to stand alongside them and to contribute to amplifying this call.
In light of the escalating human rights violations currently occurring in Iran, the EYBA stands united with the broader legal profession in urging European and international institutions to take immediate and decisive action, the organisation said.
It asks young lawyers to share the statement with national and local bar associations and invite organisations, councils, and colleagues to sign it.
“Your engagement is essential to ensure that the legal profession speaks with one strong, united voice at a moment when international vigilance is urgently needed,” the EYBA said this morning.