Complainants of Iran's 2022 Unrest Response Submit Criminal Complaint Against 40 Officials

A group of those harmed during the government crackdown amid the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" protests has launched a first-of-its-kind legal case naming forty named Iranian authorities of alleged human rights violations.

Legal Action Pursued in the Argentinian System

The petition for a legal inquiry to be opened was submitted within the Argentinian legal system. This move was taken by a collective of Iranian nationals assisted by a non-governmental advocacy organization. Argentina's courts are recognized for accommodating universal jurisdiction claims.

The filing alleges that the actions from Iranian authorities to the unrest involved "firing bullets, marker guns, steel shot not intended for crowd control, and other projectiles at civilians." The document further details mass arrests, custodial torture, and killings of individuals that are said to carry on to this day.

Identities Withheld

Certain agents across the range of Iran's law enforcement have been identified in the legal documents, but their identities are currently being maintained under seal.

Personal Stories Drive the Legal Action

One of the individuals behind the case, based in Britain Mahsa Piraei, explained that the aim "goes beyond personal vengeance in a personal sense, but justice and transparency." Her mother, Minoo Majidi, in her sixties, was fatally shot in late 2022. Autopsy reports revealed more than 167 metal pellets had been shot at her back at near-contact distance. She had been attending a street protest concerning the demise of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who lost her life in custody.

Piraei, among Majidi's three offspring, was based abroad at the moment of her parent's brutal death. She went back to Iran at great risk to see the gravesite. Her sibling Roya shared a image of herself by their mother's grave with her head shorn on a private social media account. A contact published the photo, which spread widely, eventually compelling Roya to seek exile for Turkey.

Piraei stated: "Through legal filings and evidence the goal is to preserve evidence, catalogue violations and avoid historical oblivion." She characterized her mother's death as "systematic in nature but part of a common procedure."

Other Litigants Include Those Shot in the Eye

The additional litigants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both victims of eye injuries at short distance by projectile weapons.

Eftekhari, a young scholar, was hit in the eye in late 2022. She had been protesting for an extended period, witnessing fellow protesters being struck by bullets and being struck herself with shock weapons. During a demonstration on 12 October, she was at a demonstration near a educational institution when a individual shot her with numerous projectiles from a range of about a meter. He then allegedly fired at her face when she did not comply with his demand to leave. A recording of the assault with blood pouring from her eye went viral, and she was eventually given refuge in Germany.

Shahinkar, 38 at the time when injured on October 18th, only realized what had transpired when she sensed something wet on her eye. Fellow protesters cautioned her not to enter an emergency vehicle for fear of being delivered to a detention center. When she finally got to a health center, a worker told her to leave because they refused to assist demonstrators. A physician assessed her and sent her to a hospital, where Shahinkar said a rock had unintentionally hurt her vision so she would not be refused care. She published photos of her injuries online, and in early 2023, individuals confronted her, leading her to go into exile. She later received a prestigious international award as a representative of the campaign.

Universal Jurisdiction Offers Foundation for Complaint

The collective initiating the legal probe state that the case is not considered just as a symbolic gesture with little chance of a practical outcome. Universal jurisdiction allows cases to be investigated in a third country even if the violation did not occur in that nation and the accused is not present there. Argentina has particularly permissive laws on such claims in the world.

The principle of universal jurisdiction has historically resulted in dozens of convictions and the opening of investigations covering violations committed in dozens of states. Cases are presently being pursued in multiple nations worldwide.

As the request is exclusively for a judicial probe, and this is not seeking financial compensation, there is no demand by the complainants for financial restitution. This complaint would not be the initial legal action against Iranian figures pursued in Argentina.