Amnesty International Australia has made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade regarding the human rights implications of recent violence in Iran.
Triggered by the death of 22 year old Iranian-Kurdish women Mahsa (Zhina) Amini – who was arrested in Tehran by Iran’s so-called “morality” police for not complying with the country’s discriminatory veiling laws and who was violently beaten before dying in custody – Iranians have taken to the streets to call for reform.
The Iranian authorities have responded with unlawful, unnecessary and disproportionate planned attacks, leading to the deaths of hundreds of innocent children, women and men.
In its submission, Amnesty has called on the Australian Government to take meaningful action and publicly support and advocate at the highest levels for the establishment of an independent UN mechanism to conduct investigations as a step towards pursuing accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Iran.
Not only does the establishment of such a mechanism have support from over 1 million people in 218 countries – including 10,000 people in Australia – Independent Investigative Mechanisms have a proven track record when it comes to holding perpetrators accountable.
We want a world where human rights are no longer under fire. Governments and people in power everywhere must respect everyone’s basic freedoms, and allow their citizens to live safely, without fear. When human rights are attacked, Amnesty will call on the human rights abusers to be tried and brought to justice. Learn more about what we do and our crisis response work.
