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Detained Iranian Professor to Testify at UNHRC, Hopes for Justice

IranWire: Behnaz Amani, a poet, writer, and assistant professor at Tehran University, endured 46 days of detention in Qarchak prison following the nationwide protests in 2022.

Reflecting on her experience, she hopes the recent report from the UN fact-finding mission will compel the Islamic Republic to be held accountable.

Amani's ordeal began on October 20, 2023, when security forces apprehended her after endorsing a statement by university professors condemning the arrest of students.

Currently in Geneva, she is a witness to the actions of Iranian agents against protesters, prepared to testify before the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday.

Upon learning of the UN report's confirmation of the Islamic Republic's crimes against humanity, Amani felt a "profound resonance," a testament to the shared suffering endured by her and her comrades.

"It served as a poignant reminder of the collective tears shed alongside families and friends," she said.

Published on March 8, the fact-finding mission's report summary sets the stage for a critical meeting on March 18, where representatives from various nations, including Iran, will convene to scrutinize its details.

Drawing from its investigations, the committee decries the Iranian security forces' use of arbitrary coercive measures, resulting in the illegal killing and injuring of protesters.

Amani hopes this report will catalyze a stride toward justice, not just for Iran but all those who yearn for justice worldwide.

Recalling her arrest at her residence, Amani recounts her swift transfer from Shapour Detention Center in Tehran to Evin Prison and finally to Qarchak.

She describes the interrogation she faced at the university's security department, highlighting the coercion and intimidation tactics employed.

While in prison, a group of American poets condemned her arrest.

"We are a group of American poets who write in solidarity with Behnaz Amani and support her right to peacefully protest the brutal and extrajudicial persecution of her students and many others in Iran," they wrote in a letter.

"We make this plea: Do not send Behnaz Amani back to prison, under any circumstances. Anyone who takes part in incarcerating her again will be held responsible for what happens to her and for any consequent deterioration in her medical condition," they added.

Standing by her endorsement of the professors' statement, Amani asserts that "students have no place in prison" and condemns the "brutal treatment and clandestine detentions they endured."

In an interview with IranWire, she reveals being threatened with execution at Evin Prison for her support of student gatherings.

Amani further said, "This is sheer cruelty. We were all dismissed and forced into silence. The Islamic Republic has reduced us to disposable beings, and it is agonizing, yet few truly understand our plight. Once released from prison, communication becomes fraught; some fear us, while others fail to grasp the depth of our suffering."

The UN fact-finding mission's report reveals egregious violations of international human rights laws by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The report, released on March 8, also said that authorities resorted to "unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force" to quell protests erupting after Mahsa Amini died in custody in 2022.

"The mission has … established that many of the serious human rights violations … amount to crimes against humanity – specifically those of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts," the report said.

It also said Iranian security forces were found to have sexually assaulted detainees during the months-long uprising.