Open Letter to the OHCHR on Repression in Kurdistan and Iran

Dr. Amir Sharifi | iKurd.net

November 19, 2019

Michelle Bachelet
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland

Re: Joint Letter to Denounce Iran’s Crackdown and to Save the Lives of Thousands of Detainees

Dear High Commissioner,

Over the last week you like many of us you have recollected scattered scenes of heinous crimes against protesters in Iran and wondered about the Orwellian nightmare that has reined over Iran under the Islamic Republic of Iran. As the result of “the political panic” that the ISI has felt, it shutdown Internet and stifled every form of communication within and across Iranian communities to prevent any depictions and coverage of its acts of terrorism so that to nip in the bud the legitimate protests against the sudden hike in fuel cost. Using its terror network and propaganda inside the country, it managed to repress the digital coverage of the protests.

Now more reliable news and reports from multiple sources inform us that hundreds of thousands of Iranian people including Kurds in many cities protested the sudden rise in fuel cost, leading a growing movement of discontent. IRI instead of addressing these legitimate grievances is brutally repressing it. Over 200 people have been killed and thousands wounded and arrested, often-held incommunicado.

The situation is worrisome in many cities; in Kurdistan according to Hangaw, the Kurdish Human Rights Organization, in cities such as Kermanshan, Jwanru, Sanandaj, and Bukan at least 34 people have lost their lives. Only in the city of Jwanru, 15 people have been killed and 53 wounded. All victims reportedly were the direct targets of those who had been ordered to “shoot to kill.” To add insult to injury, the families of those arrested in Kurdish cities have been required to give $ 5000 in exchange for the freedom of their loved ones.

Khamenei, the Supreme leaders’ slanderous labeling of the protesters as “thugs” and “ foreign agents at war with God” reveals the severity of the punishment awaiting the detainees who had been fed up with their misery, poverty, and indescribable political repression and corruption, and the absence of any semblance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country.

The so-called judiciary has called upon the prosecutor to issue the harshest possible verdicts and punishments on the detainees. In light of the dark and ignoble history of the Islamic Republic throughout Iran, in Kurdish areas in particular when it comes among other concerns to summary executions, torture, and forced confessions, we call upon you as the High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn Iran for its flagrant violations of human rights and put an end to these ruthless repressions.

We also urge you to form an independent committee to be sent to Iran to ensure the safety and security of these defenseless prisoners. The lives of thousands of prisoners are in grave danger. The international community should act immediately. We encourage you to exert pressure on the Iranian government to adhere to the UN Guiding Principles on Human rights, international human rights and humanitarian law.

We thank you for your consideration of the letter and your prompt action.

Cordially
Dr. Amir Sharifi

Dr Amir Sharifi, Director of the Kurdish Human Rights Advocacy Group ( KHRAG).

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