A coalition of individuals affected by the government response amid the 2022 "Zan, Zendegi, Azadi" uprising has filed a first-of-its-kind criminal complaint naming forty identified Iranian figures of alleged crimes against humanity.
Judicial Move Initiated in Argentina
The application for a legal inquiry to be opened was lodged within the Argentine courts. This move was taken by a collective of Iranian nationals aided by a human rights advocacy organization. Argentina's courts are recognized for accommodating cases based on universal jurisdiction.
The filing alleges that the reaction from state security apparatus to the demonstrations involved "discharging live ammunition, marker guns, metal pellets improperly used for close-range use, and additional ammunition at civilians." The filing further details arbitrary roundups, custodial torture, and executions of protesters that allegedly persist to this day.
Confidential Names
Specific officers from within the spectrum of Iran's law enforcement have been named in the legal documents, but their personal details are currently being withheld from the public.
Individual Accounts Motivate the Case
One of the individuals behind the case, UK-based Mahsa Piraei, explained that the objective "is not personal vengeance in a private capacity, but responsibility and truth." Her parent, Minoo Majidi, 62 years old, was shot dead in September 2022. Autopsy reports revealed in excess of 167 harmful shots had been fired into her posterior at extremely close proximity. She had been participating in a gathering concerning the demise of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who lost her life while detained.
Piraei, a member of Majidi's three children, was living abroad at the period of her parent's tragic killing. She returned to Iran at significant personal danger to see the gravesite. Her sister Roya shared a image of herself by their parent's burial site with her scalp shaved on a personal social media account. A friend circulated the photo, which went viral, subsequently forcing Roya to flee for Turkey.
Piraei remarked: "Via legal filings and record-keeping the goal is to maintain records, catalogue violations and avoid historical oblivion." She said her parent's killing as "part of a pattern but part of a widespread tactic."
Additional Complainants Consist of Those Shot in the Eye
The remaining complainants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both individuals who suffered blinding at point-blank by marker guns.
Eftekhari, a 23-year-old student, was struck in the right eye in late 2022. She had been protesting for an extended period, seeing fellow protesters being shot with bullets and being struck herself with electronic batons. During a gathering on October 12th, she was at a demonstration near a university when a plainclothes officer struck her with numerous rounds from a distance of about a yard. He then allegedly shot her her face when she did not comply with his demand to disperse. A footage of the assault depicting blood pouring from her eye spread online, and she was eventually offered protection in Germany.
Shahinkar, 38 at the time when attacked on October 18th, only became aware what had happened when she sensed something wet on her face. Fellow individuals cautioned her not to board an ambulance for fear of being transported to a detention center. When she eventually got to a treatment facility, a staff member instructed her to depart because they refused to assist demonstrators. A medical professional saw her and sent her to a hospital, where Shahinkar claimed a rock had unintentionally injured her vision so she would not be refused care. She published images of her injuries online, and in the new year, plainclothes officers confronted her, leading her to go into exile. She later was awarded a renowned international award as a symbol of the campaign.
International Law Principle Provides Basis for Case
The individuals seeking the inquiry state that the case is not viewed just as a legal complaint with no hope of a concrete result. This legal principle permits allegations to be examined in a different state even if the crime did not happen in that nation and the accused is not located there. The Argentinian system has notably open regulations on such cases in the world.
The doctrine of universal jurisdiction has previously resulted in multiple convictions and the launch of cases involving violations carried out in dozens of states. Cases are currently being handled in multiple different countries.
As the application is solely for a legal inquiry, and this is not a case for damages, there is no claim by the litigants for money damages. This filing would not represent the initial legal action against Iranian figures pursued in Argentina.
