A collective of victims of the state-led suppression amid the 2022 "Zan, Zendegi, Azadi" uprising has filed a pioneering criminal complaint targeting numerous named Iranian authorities of alleged crimes against humanity.
Judicial Move Initiated in Argentina
The petition for a judicial probe to be initiated was filed within the Argentinian legal system. This step was undertaken by a collective of Iranian nationals with support from a non-profit legal group. Argentina's judicial system are recognized for accommodating cases based on universal jurisdiction.
The document asserts that the actions from Iran's security forces to the protests entailed "discharging lethal rounds, marker guns, harmful pellets improperly used for crowd control, and other projectiles at protesters." The document further details mass arrests, custodial torture, and killings of participants that allegedly carry on to this day.
Confidential Names
Named individuals representing the spectrum of Iran's law enforcement have been identified in the legal documents, but their identities are currently being kept confidential.
Individual Accounts Motivate the Legal Action
One of the complainants, residing in the United Kingdom Mahsa Piraei, commented that the purpose "is not revenge in a private capacity, but accountability and transparency." Her mother, Minoo Majidi, 62 years old, was killed by gunfire in the autumn of 2022. Forensic analysis showed over 167 steel projectiles had been discharged into her back at extremely close proximity. She had been on a gathering concerning the killing of Mahsa Amini, a youthful Kurdish woman who died in custody.
Piraei, among Majidi's three children, was based abroad at the moment of her parent's brutal death. She returned to Iran at significant personal danger to see the gravesite. Her sister Roya posted a picture of herself by their parent's burial site with her hair shaved on a private social media account. A friend published the photograph, which spread widely, eventually compelling Roya to leave for Turkey.
Piraei remarked: "Through official complaints and evidence the aim is to safeguard proof, catalogue violations and stop the disappearance." She described her parent's killing as "part of a pattern but part of a widespread tactic."
Additional Complainants Consist of Individuals Who Lost Sight
The additional complainants who are named are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both individuals who suffered blinding at point-blank by paintball guns.
Eftekhari, a university-aged student, was struck in the face in October 2022. She had been in the streets for weeks, observing fellow protesters being shot with bullets and being struck herself with stun devices. During a protest on 12 October, she was at a demonstration near a educational institution when a individual fired at her with multiple paintballs from a distance of about a yard. He then reportedly fired at her eye when she did not comply with his demand to scatter. A recording of the incident showing blood pouring from her face spread online, and she was subsequently given refuge in Germany.
Shahinkar, aged 38 when injured on October 18th, only became aware what had transpired when she noticed something unusual on her face. Fellow demonstrators advised her not to enter an emergency vehicle for fear of being transported to a authority holding area. When she later got to a health center, a worker ordered her to leave because they refused to assist protesters. A physician saw her and sent her to a medical center, where Shahinkar claimed a object had accidentally injured her eye so she would not be refused care. She shared photos of her condition online, and in early 2023, undercover agents confronted her, prompting her to leave the country. She later collected a renowned recognition as a symbol of the movement.
Global Legal Concept Creates Avenue for Action
The individuals initiating the inquiry say that the complaint is not viewed just as a paper exercise with no hope of a concrete result. Universal jurisdiction permits complaints to be probed in a foreign nation even if the offence did not occur in that country and the offender is not located there. Argentina has notably open laws on such claims in the world.
The principle of universal jurisdiction has in the past resulted in numerous sentences and the initiation of cases involving crimes carried out in dozens of countries. Cases are currently being prosecuted in several different countries.
As the petition is solely for a legal inquiry, and this is not a case for damages, there is no demand by the individuals for money damages. This complaint would not represent the first instance against Iranian figures pursued in Argentina.
