A coalition of those harmed during the government suppression amid the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" protests has initiated a landmark criminal complaint accusing 4 dozen named Iranian figures of purported crimes against humanity.
Judicial Move Initiated in Argentina
The application for a legal inquiry to be opened was submitted within the Argentinian legal system. This action was undertaken by a collective of Iranian nationals assisted by a non-governmental documentation center. Argentina's legal framework are recognized for accommodating cases based on universal jurisdiction.
The document alleges that the response from state security apparatus to the protests involved "discharging bullets, marker guns, harmful pellets not intended for close-range use, and various objects at civilians." The filing further states widespread detentions, abuse while imprisoned, and death sentences of protesters that are said to continue to this day.
Confidential Names
Certain agents representing the range of Iran's law enforcement have been named in the filing, but their personal details are currently being kept confidential.
Victim Testimonies Drive the Case
One of the individuals behind the case, UK-based Mahsa Piraei, explained that the purpose "is not personal vengeance in a private capacity, but responsibility and fact-finding." Her mother, Minoo Majidi, in her sixties, was killed by gunfire in September 2022. Forensic analysis revealed more than 167 harmful shots had been fired into her posterior at point-blank range. She had been on a public demonstration regarding the killing of Mahsa Amini, a youthful Kurdish woman who was killed after arrest.
Piraei, a member of Majidi's three offspring, was residing abroad at the period of her parent's brutal death. She returned to Iran at considerable peril to pay respects at the burial site. Her sibling Roya posted a picture of herself by their mother's grave with her head shorn on a restricted social media account. A contact published the image, which was widely shared, subsequently forcing Roya to leave for Turkey.
Piraei added: "Through legal filings and record-keeping the goal is to preserve evidence, name crimes and prevent erasure." She said her loss as "part of a pattern but part of a common procedure."
Further Claimants Consist of Those Shot in the Eye
The additional claimants who have come forward are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both survivors of loss of sight at short distance by marker guns.
Eftekhari, a 23-year-old scholar, was shot in the eye in autumn 2022. She had been in the streets for weeks, observing fellow protesters being struck by live ammunition and being beaten herself with shock weapons. During a protest on October 12th, she was at a demonstration near a educational institution when a plainclothes officer struck her with numerous projectiles from a range of about a meter. He then is said to have shot her her eye when she did not comply with his order to leave. A recording of the incident depicting blood pouring from her eye went viral, and she was eventually given refuge in Germany.
Shahinkar, aged 38 when assaulted on October 18th, only became aware what had happened when she noticed something wet on her eye. Fellow protesters cautioned her not to enter an emergency vehicle for fear of being taken to a police station. When she eventually arrived at a health center, a worker ordered her to depart because they would not treat demonstrators. A doctor examined her and referred her to a hospital, where Shahinkar said a object had inadvertently hurt her eye so she would not be refused care. She published images of her condition online, and in the new year, individuals came for her, leading her to flee Iran. She later was awarded a renowned human rights prize as a figure of the movement.
International Law Principle Creates Avenue for Complaint
The group pursuing the inquiry assert that the complaint is not seen just as a symbolic gesture with no hope of a practical outcome. Universal jurisdiction allows cases to be examined in a third country even if the crime did not occur in that country and the suspect is not resident there. The Argentinian system has particularly permissive laws on such cases in the world.
The concept of international justice has previously resulted in dozens of guilty verdicts and the initiation of investigations regarding crimes carried out in numerous states. Cases are presently being pursued in several jurisdictions.
As the request is solely for a legal inquiry, and this is not a case for damages, there is no claim by the complainants for money damages. This complaint would not represent the first instance against Iranian officials brought in Argentina.
