Stop the bloodshed in Iran
People in Iran have endured days of a near total communications blackout, deliberately imposed by the Iranian authorities to conceal a massacre of its own people.
As information slowly emerges from inside the country, international human rights groups and media outlets are piecing together the horrific scale of the killing, torture, and mass arrests. According to some estimates, over 2,600 people have been killed, and over 18,000 arrested – figures likely to be severe underestimates.
The brutal crackdown serves one purpose: to intimidate and silence those who have peacefully taken to the streets to call for democracy, freedom, justice and respect of their human rights.
The gross human rights violations committed under the guise of communication shutdown mirror the patterns of repression during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. The international community must act now to finally put an end to impunity for the crimes committed.
UN member states and regional bodies, including the European Union, must press Iran to halt the bloodshed and restore internet access. We join civil society in calling for states to pursue universal jurisdiction prosecutions for crimes like murder and torture – to bring those responsible to justice.
