Thousands of protestors have been detained and hundreds killed in a brutal crackdown by Iranian authorities, according to a new report by NGO Human Rights Watch.

“Iranian authorities have ruthlessly cracked down on widespread anti-government protests with excessive and lethal force throughout Iran,” the report said.

The protests began on September 16 after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini’s in the custody of Iran’s ‘morality police’.

“Human Rights Watch verified 16 videos posted on social media that depict protests from September 17 to 22. The videos show police and other security forces using excessive and lethal force against protesters in Tehran, the capital, and the cities of Divandarreh, Garmsar, Hamedan, Kerman, Mashhad, Mehrshahr, Rasht, and Shiraz. They include instances of security forces using firearms, such as handguns and Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifles,” the report says.

“Human Rights Watch also analysed photos and videos showing grievous, and sometimes lethal, injuries to demonstrators. This research did not include the deadly crackdown by security forces in Zahedan on September 30, nor subsequent attacks against protesters, including on Sharif University Campus in Tehran on October 2,” it says.

The HRW report compiled the names of 47 people reported to have been killed, mostly by gunfire. These included at least nine children, two of them girls, and six women.

It also documented credible reports of 60 more deaths.

“The death toll of protesters is likely significantly higher. Iranian authorities continue to heavily disrupt internet access in large parts of the country and block messaging applications, making documentation and verification more difficult,” the report said.

“Human Rights Watch also reviewed and verified four videos of security forces firing at crowds of protesters, some fleeing. At least four videos showed security forces using shotguns, which can be loaded with ammunition containing multiple rubber or metal pellets,” it said.

“A security force member confirmed that police forces ‘typically use Winchester shotguns with different ammunition – rubber or metal pellets’,” the report said.

“Since September 16, Iranian security agencies have also arrested hundreds of activists, journalists, and human rights defenders outside the protests.

“These include Niloufar Hamedi, a reporter of the Shargh Daily paper, and Elaheh Mohammadi, a reporter with Hammihan daily paper, both of whom reported on the death of Mahsa Amini.

“Amini’s family requested the presence of independent medical reviewers to determine the cause of her death,” the report said.

“Under Iranian law, women who appear without “proper” hijab in public, based on the judgment of the country’s abusive “morality police,” can be fined or sentenced from between 10 days to two months in prison. Iran’s morality police regularly arrest women in public places.

“Over the past five years, authorities have prosecuted several activists, including the prominent lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh for their peaceful opposition to compulsory hijab laws,” the report said.

The report says that over the past four years, Iran has experienced several waves of widespread protests.

“Authorities have responded to these widespread protests across the country with excessive and lethal force and the arbitrary arrests of thousands of protesters,” it said.

“In one of the most brutal crackdowns, in November 2019, security forces unlawfully used excessive and unlawful lethal force against massive protests across the country. Amnesty International estimated that at least 340 people were killed during the 2019 protests. Iranian authorities have failed to conduct any credible and transparent investigations into the security forces’ serious abuses,” the report said. 

Read the full report here: Iran: Security Forces Fire On, Kill Protesters | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)