Children brutally tortured during protests in Iran

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Protesters were subjected to beatings, floggings, electric shocks, rape and other sexual assaults by secret and security services, Amnesty said in a report published Thursday evening.

According to Amnesty, the violence was aimed at repressing the country’s youth and quelling their protest. Dieter Karg, Iran expert at Amnesty Germany, said in a statement: “It is reprehensible that officials are abusing their power over vulnerable and frightened children in this way, causing them and their families severe pain and anguish and inflicting serious physical and psychological harm on them. . leaves scars.”

22,000 protesters arrested

Amnesty documented violence from the moment of arrest, with children and young people being beaten in prison vans and tortured in detention centres. This included electric shocks to the genitals, forced administration of unknown pills and serious threats. Before they were released, state officials often threatened the children with the arrest of their relatives if they complained.

According to Amnesty International, children as young as 12 were also tortured. The human rights activists base their report on testimonials from dozens of detainees and family members. Given the predominantly young protesters, Amnesty believes thousands of children have been imprisoned. Just a few days ago, Iran’s judiciary revealed that at least 22,000 protesters had been arrested. Most of the protesters have since been released. There are no exact numbers from the state.

The latest wave of protests in Iran was triggered by the death of Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old was arrested by moral guardians in mid-September for violating Islamic dress codes and died in police custody a few days later. In the beginning, the protests were directed against the compulsory headscarf. Later, the demonstrators called for the fall of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, the political and spiritual leadership has shown self-confidence again.

Especially the young generation has been protesting lately. The majority should not be older than 25 years. Since the wave of protests in the fall, the Iranian leadership has been under more pressure than at any time since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Even months after the uprising, many women continued their protests in other forms, such as a demonstrative disregard for the headscarf requirement.

Amnesty called for the release of the detained children and appealed to the international community: “As there is no prospect of an effective impartial investigation into the torture of children in Iran, we call on all states and the federal government to establish universal jurisdiction about Iranian officials,” said Dieter Karg of Amnesty.

(SDA)

Source: Blick