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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Members of European Parliament (MEP) on Thursday denounced Iran for the repression of November protests, urging Iran to adhere to its international obligations and disclose the number of protester casualties.
On Thursday, in the European Parliament, a resolution was put to vote concerning the “disproportionate use of force” by Iranian security forces against protesters.
The MEPs said that “tens of thousands of people from all over Iran and representing all segments of society have exercised their fundamental right to freedom of assembly.... in the largest-scale unrest in 40 years”.
Nationwide protests in Iran began on Friday, November 15, after the Iranian government announced a 300% increase in petrol prices despite the fact that Iranians are already facing difficult financial circumstances due to US sanctions against the regime.
Under increasing economic pressure, partly as a result of US economic sanctions, and with more than 70 percent of the population in need of government support, thousands of people took to the streets.
Protesters, however, were met with brutal repression, along with a full internet blackout in the country to hide the crackdown.
According to Amnesty International, at least 304 people were killed and thousands more injured between November 15 and November 18. Several thousand people were arrested and many of them subjected to torture, according to Iranian human rights organizations.
Iranian state media acknowledged the death of protesters, but authorities claimed they were killed by “armed thugs”.
According to reports, Iranian Minister of Interior Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, when asked by Iranian parliament members why so many people were shot in their heads, they stated “We shot them in the leg too.”
“MEPs strongly condemn Iran’s decision to shut down internet access to global networks, as this is preventing communication and the free flow of information for Iranian citizens and is a clear violation of the freedom of speech,” read a press release about the European Parliament resolution.
“Calling on Iranian authorities to live up to their international obligations, MEPs urge EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell to continue raising human rights concerns with Iranian authorities at bilateral and multilateral meetings.”
The European Parliament is not the only institution to slam Iran for the repression of protesters. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed its own resolution on December 18, condemning Iran for its human rights violations against protesters.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also announced US government actions against Iran yesterday, including sanctions against two Revolutionary Court judges with a history of imposing harsh sentences on journalists, activists, and Iranian internet users.
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