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A collective of those harmed during the government suppression amid the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" protests has filed a landmark judicial filing naming numerous identified Iranian figures of alleged human rights violations.

Judicial Move Pursued in the Argentinian System

The formal request for a legal inquiry to be initiated was filed within the Argentinian courts. This step was made by a group of Iranians aided by a human rights documentation center. Argentina's judicial system are noted for hearing international law complaints.

The complaint claims that the response from Iran's security forces to the unrest involved "shooting lethal rounds, non-lethal projectiles, harmful pellets designed for crowd control, and other projectiles at civilians." The filing further describes arbitrary roundups, custodial torture, and death sentences of protesters that allegedly continue to this day.

Officials Named Anonymously

Named individuals from within the range of Iran's law enforcement have been identified in the complaint, but their personal details are currently being withheld from the public.

Victim Testimonies Fuel the Case

One of the complainants, residing in the United Kingdom Mahsa Piraei, explained that the aim "is far from revenge in a individual way, but accountability and fact-finding." Her parent, Minoo Majidi, 62 years old, was killed by gunfire in September 2022. Autopsy reports revealed more than 167 harmful shots had been fired into her back at extremely close proximity. She had been on a gathering regarding the killing of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who lost her life after arrest.

Piraei, a member of Majidi's three offspring, was residing abroad at the period of her parent's tragic killing. She went back to Iran at significant personal danger to pay respects at the burial site. Her sibling Roya posted a photograph of herself by their resting place with her hair shaved on a private social media account. A contact circulated the photograph, which went viral, ultimately forcing Roya to seek exile for Turkey.

Piraei added: "Through legal filings and evidence the goal is to preserve evidence, catalogue violations and prevent erasure." She described her mother's death as "systematic in nature but part of a systematic practice."

Other Litigants Consist of Victims of Blinding

The additional litigants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both victims of blinding at short distance by marker guns.

Eftekhari, a 23-year-old student, was hit in the face in October 2022. She had been demonstrating for weeks, seeing fellow protesters being shot with lethal fire and being struck herself with shock weapons. During a demonstration on October 12th, she was at a rally near a university when a undercover agent shot her with multiple rounds from a range of about a metre. He then allegedly targeted her eye when she did not obey his order to leave. A video of the incident depicting injuries from her face went viral, and she was later offered protection in Germany.

Shahinkar, aged 38 when injured on 18 October, only realized what had happened when she noticed something warm on her cheek. Fellow protesters cautioned her not to enter an ambulance for fear of being transported to a police station. When she finally reached a health center, a worker ordered her to leave because they would not treat demonstrators. A physician examined her and directed her to a hospital, where Shahinkar said a rock had accidentally damaged her eye so she would not be denied treatment. She published images of her injuries online, and in early 2023, plainclothes officers confronted her, prompting her to go into exile. She later received a notable human rights prize as a representative of the campaign.

International Law Principle Provides Basis for Action

The individuals pursuing the criminal investigation assert that the complaint is not viewed just as a legal complaint with no hope of a practical outcome. This legal principle permits complaints to be investigated in a third country even if the violation did not occur in that country and the accused is not present there. The Argentinian system has notably open regulations on such claims in the world.

The principle of universal jurisdiction has historically facilitated dozens of guilty verdicts and the launch of cases covering violations perpetrated in many states. Proceedings are at this time being handled in several different countries.

As the petition is only for a legal inquiry, and this is not a case for damages, there is no claim by the individuals for financial restitution. This complaint would not constitute the initial legal action against Iranian figures initiated in Argentina.