Key facts
- Amnesty International identified 87 Iranian officials for investigation into "crimes against humanity" related to the 2022 protests.
- The report documented the deaths of 377 protesters and bystanders, including 56 children.
- Amnesty verified 16 cases of rape and other sexual abuse against detainees.
- Leaked documents indicated orders for a "firm and severe" response, including "causing death."
- The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for alleged hijab violations.
Amnesty International has called for the arrest of 87 Iranian officials for "crimes against humanity" over their involvement in cracking down on the 2022 "Woman Life Freedom" protests. The rights group's report, "Architects of Atrocities: State Machinery Orchestrating Crimes Against Humanity in Iran’s 2022 Woman Life Freedom Uprising," details the extent of state repression against anti-government demonstrators.
The 2022 uprising was triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman, in police custody after her arrest for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. During the subsequent demonstrations and executions, hundreds of people were killed. Amnesty International verified the deaths of 377 protesters and bystanders, including 56 children, with a disproportionate number belonging to the country's Kurdish and Balochi minorities.
According to Amnesty's secretary general, Agnes Callamard, Iranian authorities committed murder, torture, enforced disappearance, imprisonment, rape, and persecution on political, gender, ethnic, and religious grounds to crush the uprising. The report includes leaked state documents and interviews, with some orders instructing forces to "respond mercilessly and go as far as causing death." Sixteen detainees were documented as victims of rape, including six women, seven men, a 14-year-old girl, and two boys.
Amnesty is urging the UN General Assembly to establish an international criminal justice mechanism and the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Iran to the International Criminal Court. Mahsa Piraei, whose mother was killed during the protests, stated that responsibility for the deaths lies with the entire system, not just individuals.