The current regime in Iran enables a leader to possess absolute powers in the judicial, executive and legislative branches. For this reason, and despite Iran’s various obligations under international law and as a member of the United Nations, past and present protests are being met with the utmost maliciousness. This has led to various atrocities and, murders, and the known mistreatment has been recounted, notably by various NGOs and the United Nations. A particularly targeted group of victims of this repressive political climate in Iran are precisely the children themselves.
The current regime in Iran
The government formed in Iran consolidates the “executive, legislative and judicial authority in the position of the Supreme Leader” (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022). This means that Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, possesses absolute powers given that there is no separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial bodies.
As a consequence, the judicial body in Iran lacks independence. Furthermore, “its politization is a major contributing factor to failing of accountability” (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022). An example of failure to ensure accountability relates to the “large-scale use of lethal force by security, law enforcement and other State agents against peaceful protesters in nationwide protests”, which led to “alarmingly high numbers of injuries and deaths, together with arrests, enforced disappearances, detentions, prosecutions and executions” (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022).
Iran’s obligations under international law
In 1945, Iran joined the United Nations and since then, Iran has been an active member of the United Nations (United Nations, n.d). Iran has acceded to various United Nations treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (United Nations, n.d).
As such, Iran has obligations under international law and United Nations treaties to uphold the human rights of its nationals. Accordingly, Iran “has an obligation to protect children’s right to life under any circumstances, and to respect and protect their right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.” (Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022).
The current human rights situation in Iran
A Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr Javaid Rehman, has been appointed in order to “monitor and investigate human rights violations” in Iran and to submit reports on the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran (United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner, n.d.).
This has led to recent thematic (A/HRC/49/75) and country reports (A/77/181). While both reports focus on protests prior to the one of 2022, the Special Rapporteur continues, as part of his mandate, to engage on issues of concern such as the current human rights violations leading up to and since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini (United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner, 2022).
Past protests to remedy the mistreatment of children
The above-mentioned thematic report lists the protests of 2009, 2019, 2020 and 2021 in Iran to have led to “alarmingly high numbers of injuries and deaths, together with arrests, enforced disappearances, detentions, prosecutions and executions” (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022).
Particularly, the Special Rapporteur had found that during the 2019 protests, 22 children were killed, and that during the 2021 protests, at least 9 children aged between 12 and 18 years were arrested (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022).
Current protests and subsequent child rights violations
News of the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini has sparked waves of outrage in Iran and across the world. On 16 September 2022, Jina Mahsa Amini, initially arrested for alleged non-compliance with Iran’s dress code (Aljazeera – Maziar Motamedi, 2022), died from sustained injuries following her detention by the Morality Police, which was employed to enforce the mandatory hijab rules in Iran (Aljazeera, 2022). And since that date, “thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations across the country in which dozens of children have reportedly been killed, injured and arrested” (Save the Children, 2022). The protests in Iran triggered a violent State response, unravelling decades-long patterns and practices of oppression.
The Special Rapporteur has denounced the current repression of protests by Iranian security forces. He expressed “alarm at the situation of children who have been disproportionately affected by the latest protests” and concern “at reports that schools have been raided and children arrested for their alleged participation in protests” (United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner, 2022).
“Some principals have also reportedly been arrested for not cooperating with security forces. This instils an atmosphere of fear in these schools with grave consequences on the well-being and education of these children.”
– Mr Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on Iran (United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner, 2022)
In the face of the rapidly escalating events in Iran, the Human Rights Council decided to establish an independent international fact-finding mission to “thoroughly and independently investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, with respect to women and children” and “to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations” (United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner, 2022).
Mistreatment and murder of children in Iran – an alarming yet uncertain assessment
In the midst of the protests, Iranian children rapidly became targets of violence by Iranian security forces. Various reports have indicated that children are being killed by security forces, that children are sustaining injuries from live ammunition, metals pellets or fatal beatings, that schools are raided, that children are being arrested and detained by security forces, and that some children are being sent to ‘psychological centres’ after being arrested (Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022).
“The authorities have been killing children in a bid to crush the spirit of resistance among the country’s youth and retain their iron grip on power at any cost. And yet despite that, many children have courageously continued to take to the streets in search of a future without political oppression and inequality.”
– Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director at Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2022).
The number of deaths of Iranian children remains unclear. However, the United Nations and various NGOs have already indicated an estimated and minimum number of children affected, and it is the following:
- 23 deaths were reported in October 2022 (Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022);
- 58 deaths were reported in November 2022 (The Guardian, 2022);
- 63 deaths were reported in December 2022 (Iran Human Rights, 2022).
Furthermore, in an attempt to cover up the crimes committed, the following methods have been enforced against the families of child victims: mental anguish, restriction on burials and commemorations in line with religious and cultural traditions (including threats “not to return the bodies of child victims for burial unless families commit, in writing, to remaining silent”), intimidation, coercion (from “arbitrary arrest and detention” to “threats to bury the bodies of their loved ones in unidentified location, and threats to kill, rape, detain or otherwise harm bereaved parents and their surviving children”), harassment and forced narratives absolving national authorities of any responsibility (Amnesty International, 2022).
In addition, the children found most affected and targeted by Iranian security forces are part of persecuted minorities in Iran. Indeed, “over 60% of the children killed were from Iran’s oppressed Baluchi and Kurdish minorities” (Amnesty International, 2022). This represents a continuation of the long-lasting systemic discrimination and persecution by the Iranian authorities, suffered by the Baluchi and Kurdish communities in Iran, in which children are one of the most vulnerable and affected groups.
The way forward – immediate actions needed from Iran and the international community
The protests and violent repressions have been going on since September 2022. While Humanium welcomes the disbanding of the morality police in Iran and the establishment of the United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran, Humanium regretfully observes that the alarming human rights scene is persisting and that the children are equally affected and remain unprotected. To this end, Humanium wishes to highlight certain key recommendations from the Special Rapporteur on Iran and calls unto:
The Islamic Republic of Iran:
- To undertake reforms in order to establish a system of accountability in line with international law and to ensure the independence of the judiciary (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022);
- To release all individuals arrested while implementing their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, association and peaceful assembly, and to ensure these rights in law (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022).
The international community:
- To prioritize human rights issues and the implementation of international human rights obligations in all negotiations and agreements with the Islamic Republic of Iran (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022);
- To call for accountability with respect to the above-mentioned long-standing events (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2022).
Humanium, as an international actor, strongly condemns the ongoing repression of the Iranian citizens’ protests, and even more so as the repercussions of such governmental oppression disproportionality affect children and families of child victims. Humanium remains committed to safeguarding children’s human rights, including their rights to life, humane treatment and a fair trial. If you want to contribute to Humanium’s cause, please consider making a donation, volunteering or becoming a member.
Written by Moïra Phuöng Van de Poël
Bibliography:
Aljazeera. (2022, September 23). News – Mahsa Amini’s death sparks anger towards Iran’s morality police. Accessed on 16 January 2023, from Aljazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/23/iran-morality-police-root-cause-iranian-protest-anger-explainer
Aljazeera – Maziar Motamedi. (2022, December 4). News – Iran suspends morality police. What does it mean? Retrieved Accessed on 16 January 2023, from Aljazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/4/iran-suspends-morality-police-what-does-it-mean
Amnesty International. (2022, December 9). News – Iran: Authorities covering up their crimes of child killings by coercing families into silence. Accessed on 16 January 2023, from Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/iran-authorities-covering-up-their-crimes-of-child-killings-by-coercing-families-into-silence/
Iran Human Rights. (2022, December 7). News and articles – Iran Protests: at Least 458 People Killed/11 Officially Sentenced to Death. Accessed on 13 January 2023, from Iran Human Rights: https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5623/
Save the Children. (2022, November 7). New & Stories – Global News. Accessed on 9 January 2023, from Save the Children: https://www.savethechildren.net/news/investigation-needed-treatment-children-during-iran-protests-save-children
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, J. R. (2022, January 13). Documents – Country reports. Accessed on 9 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc4975-situation-human-rights-islamic-republic-iran-report-special
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, J. R. (2022, July 18). Documents – Country reports. Accessed on 9 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N22/429/30/PDF/N2242930.pdf?OpenElement
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, R. S. (2022, October 18). Press briefing notes – Iran protests: Reports of child deaths, detentions are deeply worrying . Accessed on 9 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2022/10/iran-protests-reports-child-deaths-detentions-are-deeply-worrying
The Guardian. (2022, November 20). News – Middle East – At least 58 Iranian children reportedly killed since anti-regime protests began. Accessed on 13 January 2023, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/20/iran-protests-children-killed-reports-mahsa-amini
United Nations. (n.d). UN Treaty Body Database. Accessed on 12 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?CountryID=81&Lang=en
United Nations. (n.d). About – The UN in I.R. Iran. Accessed on 12 January 2023, from United Nations: https://iran.un.org/en/about/about-the-un#:~:text=Iran%20joined%20the%20United%20Nations,first%20UN%20Information%20Centres%20worldwide
United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner. (n.d.). Topics – Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Accessed on 9 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-iran
United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner. (2022, October 26). Media Center – Press release – Iran: Special Rapporteur calls for effective accountability for deaths in recent protests. Accessed on 9 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/iran-special-rapporteur-calls-effective-accountability-deaths-recent
United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner. (2022, November 24). News – Human Rights Council. Accessed on 12 January 2023, from United Nations Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2022/11/human-rights-council-establishes-fact-finding-mission-investigate-alleged-human-rights
