While she was playing on her grandfather’s balcony, Iranian riot police shot the little girl in the face with shotguns. Benita Kiani Falavarjani was blinded in her right eye after being hit by 20 small projectiles. Benita was only five years old when she was shot on 15 November 2022. Mercede Shahinkar (38) also lost the sight in her right eye, but after being hit by a paintball shot exactly one month earlier. Young Erfan Shakouri was only 13 years old when he had a tear gas grenade shot in the middle of his face on 21 September 2022. The result was a cracked nose and eyelid, and loss of vision in his right eye. From top left: Farideh Salavatipour, Benita Kiani Falavarjani, Mercede Shahinkar, and Erfan Shakouri. Photo: Iran Rights Watch / private In a recent report, the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) documents how the Iranian regime attacked the eyes of children, women and men in order to stop the demonstrations in 2022. The organization calls the attacks systematic. Woman – life – freedom Last Saturday it was one year since Iranian Jina Aminis died, aged 22. She died in police custody, a few days after she was arrested for breaking strict dress codes for women. In Iran, the police are required by law to respond to women’s bare hair. The law was introduced in 1979, and was tightened in August 2022. The death has become a symbol of the repression in Iran, and triggered strong demonstrations in the country. Woman – life – freedom. The Kurdish slogan has its roots in Rojava, a Kurdish-dominated area in Syria, but has been sung in a number of countries. Especially in the Middle East. The slogan was used by women and men who fought, and still fight for “women, life and freedom”. Jina Amini shortly before she was arrested in September last year. In 2022, the same words gathered thousands of people all over Iran. “Zan – Zendegi – Azadi,” they shouted in Farsi. The regime responded by putting down the demonstrations with imprisonments and executions. Iranian authorities said they used these tools to prevent and punish violence and vandalism in the streets. Targeted actions A new report from the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) claims that a large part of those who have been shot and killed or injured are girls and women. – This shows a new side of the brutality and cynicism of the Iranian regime. It indicates that those who are going to crack down on the demonstrations have received clearer instructions than we were previously aware of, says IHR head Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam to news. According to the report, many of those who have been injured must have been punished by being shot in the eye with shotgun or paintball balls to hit the sight and face. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam has worked with human rights in Iran for 17 years, and believes we have seen a new side of the regime after the demonstrations last year. Photo: PETTER BERNTSEN / AFP – In addition to being inflicted with damage and suffering, these women are marked for life. I think the regime is doing this because they think it will ruin the future prospects of the victims, says Amiry-Moghaddam. He calls this targeted and coordinated actions. In the demonstrations, a number of men took part, but women are overrepresented in the documentation. In the city of Mahabad, more than half of those who suffered eye injuries are said to have been women. Going after women Ever since the demonstrations started a year ago, the organization has worked to collect documentation. It has been difficult because the regime has threatened people not to speak. In the report, 95 people come forward with names and pictures showing the eye injuries they have received. In addition, 43 other people contributed their stories anonymously. – Many have been scared, but they have still contacted us to provide documentation. The verified cases are thoroughly documented, but the real numbers are higher. We still want to go out with this material now because it is so clear what has happened, he says. Asking the international community to react again When Iran tried to put down the demonstrations a year ago, the international community reacted by standing behind the demonstrators and condemning the regime. There were support demonstrations in several places around the world against the strict rules and how the demonstrations were met. But gradually the commitment and the pressure against the Iranian authorities disappeared. Amiry-Moghaddam hopes the new report can rekindle engagement. – I hope this will open the eyes of the world community again. Both with the thought of the degree of brutality and the intention of the regime. This is a crime against humanity. Now the world must condemn the brutality, and hold those responsible to account. news contacted the Iranian embassy on Friday afternoon to ask if they would comment on the report. They have not yet come up with an answer.
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Women are shot in the eye in connection with demonstrations – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
