Iranian security forces “coordinated” the killing, torture, and sexual abuse of hundreds of people who took part in the women-led nationwide protests in September 2022, according to leaked state documents and interviews.
Tens of thousands of people, including children, took to the streets of towns and cities across Iran after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, after her arrest by the “morality” police for allegedly not complying with the country’s hijab regulations.
In response, the Iranian state instigated a brutal crackdown. Official statements and leaked documents cited by Amnesty reveal instructions for a “firm and severe” response. One leaked order instructed forces to “respond mercilessly and go as far as causing death”.
The rights group has now investigated and verified the deaths of 377 protesters and bystanders, including 56 children. It also documented the cases of 16 people who were reportedly subjected to rape while arbitrarily detained in connection with the uprising, who included six women, seven men, a 14-year-old girl and two boys aged 16 and 17.
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