Human rights
Amnesty: Protesters in Iran raped in custody
The protests in Iran against the government had plunged the country’s political leadership into a serious crisis. photo
© Fernando Sánchez/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
Iranian security forces are said to have used sexual violence against protesters. This is what Amnesty International reports – and describes shocking details.
The protests in Iran against the repressive government policy last year plunged the country’s political leadership into one of the worst crises in decades. The security forces sometimes used massive violence against the demonstrators; according to human rights activists, several hundred were killed. Thousands of protesters were arrested. The political and spiritual leadership in Tehran is now showing itself to be self-confident again.
In the report that has now been published, Amnesty describes some shocking details about the events in detention or police custody. Objects such as glass bottles or batons are said to have been used in the rapes, and in some cases there were also group rapes. In total, the organization was able to document 45 cases of sexual violence against demonstrators after arrests in various parts of the country, with rape occurring in 16 cases.
“Sexual violence is one of the most brutal weapons in the Iranian authorities’ arsenal to humiliate protesters and suppress criticism in order to remain in power at all costs,” said Julia Duchrow, secretary general of Amnesty International in Germany. So far, not a single perpetrator within the secret services and security forces has been charged. The vast majority of those affected did not file a complaint because they had no trust in the justice system.