At least 23 children killed by Iranian security forces in November protests: Amnesty International

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 23 children were killed by Iranian security forces during the protests that engulfed the nation in November, says a new report by Amnesty International.

An investigation by the human rights organization has found that at least 22 of the children were killed through the unlawful use of live ammunition on protesters, while there are conflicting reports on the cause of death for one child.

304 people were killed in a government crackdown on the protests that erupted on November 15 following the announcement of petrol price hikes, according to the organization.

Iran has denied the figures put out by Amnesty, with officials saying that statistics put out by international organizations are “not credible”.  

 “In recent months an increasingly gruesome picture has emerged of the extent to which Iranian security forces unlawfully used lethal force to crush last year’s nationwide protests,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“However, it is still devastating to learn that the number of children who fell victim to this brutality is so shockingly high,” he added.

While Tehran acknowledges that many died in last year’s protests, they have thus far refused to release the figures on how many were killed during the unrest.

“There must be independent and impartial investigations into these killings, and those suspected of ordering and carrying them out must be prosecuted in fair trials,” stated Luther.

Amnesty says it gathered the data through photographic evidence, death and burial certificates, as well as victim and eyewitness accounts. They also took testimony from human rights activists and journalists.

The human rights group says thousands of protesters, students, journalists, human rights activists were arbitrarily arrested during the protests. Activists say many still languish in prison, having been tried and convicted.

Over 54,000 prisoners in Iran have been temporarily released on furlough as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus. However, the order by Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raessi applies only to convicts sentenced to under five years in prison.

Political prisoners generally receive jail sentences longer than five years and are unlikely to be released. However, judiciary spokesperson Gholam-Hossein Esmaili spoke of one “security prisoner” being released under the order at a press conference on Tuesday.