UN holds Iran responsible for Mahsa Amini's Death — report

Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country's dressing code for women, a UN fact-finding mission has said.

Friday's stark pronouncement came in a wide-ranging initial report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council by the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.

It also found that the country employed “unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force” to put down the demonstrations that erupted following Amini's death, and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees.

The monthslong security crackdown killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.

There was no immediate comment on the report from Iran. Iranian officials did not respond to requests for comment on the mission’s findings.

“The protests were unprecedented because of the leadership of women and youth, in their reach and longevity and, ultimately, the state’s violent response,” the report says.

“Based on the evidence and patterns of violence by the morality police in the enforcement of the mandatory hijab on women, the mission is satisfied that Ms. Amini was subjected to physical violence that led to her death,” it added.

22-year-old Amini died on Sept. 16, 2022, a few days after her arrest by police for allegedly violating the dress code for women in force shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iran has denied being responsible for her death or that she had been beaten.