Dubai, United Arab Emirates –

A United Nations fact-finding mission said on Friday that Iran was responsible for “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, sparking nationwide protests over the country’s mandatory hijab law and its theocratic rule. protest.

The Fact-Finding Mission on Iran submitted a wide-ranging preliminary report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which concluded that Tehran had committed “crimes against humanity” through its actions.

The report also found that the Islamic Republic used “unnecessary and excessive lethal force” to suppress demonstrations that erupted after Amini’s death, and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees.

A months-long security crackdown left more than 500 people dead and more than 22,000 detained.

Iranian officials did not respond to multiple requests from The Associated Press for comment on the mission’s findings.

The report is unlikely to change the trajectory of Iran’s government, which is now more firmly in the hands of hardliners after last week’s low-turnout vote returned them to control of Iran’s parliament.

However, due to continued Western harassment and imprisonment, which has put further international pressure on Tehran.

“The protests were unprecedented because of the leadership, reach and longevity of women and youth, and ultimately the violent response of the state,” the report said.

Amini, 22, died in a hospital on September 16, 2022, after she was arrested by the country’s moral police for allegedly failing to wear a headscarf as required by authorities. According to reports, she was taken to Iran’s Wozala detention center for a “re-education class” but collapsed after 26 minutes and was taken to the hospital 30 minutes later.

Iran denies responsibility for her death and disputes she was beaten. At times, authorities noted that Amini suffered from a medical condition that followed minor surgery. The United Nations report denied this was the cause of her death.

The report said the panel “has determined there is evidence of trauma to Ms Amini’s body, inflicted while in moral police custody”.

“Based on the evidence and pattern of violence used by morality police in forcing women to wear headscarves, the inquiry is satisfied that Ms Amini was subjected to physical violence that resulted in her death,” the statement said.

However, the report does not specifically accuse anyone of harming Amini.

Protests following Amini’s death began with the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom.” However, the protesters’ chants and cries soon turned into open defiance of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.N. report found that Iranian security forces used shotguns, assault rifles and submachine guns against demonstrators “in the absence of an imminent threat of death or serious injury, thereby committing unlawful and extrajudicial killings.”

It also found instances of protesters being deliberately shot in the eye.

“The inquiry noted the deterrent and chilling effect of such injuries as they permanently mark victims, essentially ‘labeling’ them as protesters,” the report said.

The report said some detainees faced sexual violence, including rape, rape threats, forced nudity, indecency and genital electrocution.

“Security forces exploit social and cultural stigma associated with sexual and gender-based violence to spread fear, humiliate and punish women, men and children,” the report said.

The panel also admitted they would continue to investigate the 2023 death of teenager Armita Geravand, who activists said died after falling on a Tehran subway after she was attacked for not wearing a hijab .

Geravande’s parents appeared in state media videos at the time and said blood pressure problems, a fall or both contributed to their daughter’s death.

“State authorities took steps to obfuscate the circumstances leading to Ms. Galavande’s death, similar to those in Ms. Amini’s case,” the report said.

It also noted a suspected series of poisonings targeting Iranian schoolgirls, but did not draw conclusions about the circumstances under which they occurred.

Abram Paley, the U.S. deputy special envoy for Iran, said “the world is watching” the report and its conclusion that many serious human rights violations in Iran may amount to crimes against humanity.

“The fact-finding mission must continue its important work,” he wrote online.

Activists also welcomed the release of the report.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s violent suppression of peaceful dissent and severe discrimination against Iranian women and girls have been proven to amount to crimes against humanity,” said Hadi Ghaami, executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.