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A collective of victims of the state-led response amid the 2022 "Zan, Zendegi, Azadi" uprising has launched a first-of-its-kind criminal complaint naming forty identified Iranian authorities of suspected crimes against humanity.

Judicial Move Pursued in the Argentinian System

The application for a judicial probe to be opened was lodged within the Argentinian courts. This action was made by a collective of Iranian nationals assisted by a non-governmental documentation center. Argentina's legal framework are recognized for accommodating cases based on universal jurisdiction.

The document claims that the response from Iran's security forces to the demonstrations entailed "discharging live ammunition, paintball guns, metal pellets improperly used for short distances, and other projectiles at protesters." The case further states widespread detentions, abuse while imprisoned, and executions of individuals that are said to continue to this day.

Officials Named Anonymously

Specific officers representing the range of Iran's law enforcement have been listed in the legal documents, but their identities are currently being maintained under seal.

Individual Accounts Motivate the Complaint

One of the complainants, based in Britain Mahsa Piraei, stated that the purpose "is not retribution in a personal sense, but justice and transparency." Her parent, Minoo Majidi, in her sixties, was killed by gunfire in late 2022. Forensic analysis showed more than 167 harmful shots had been fired into her back at near-contact distance. She had been attending a gathering over the demise of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who lost her life while detained.

Piraei, a member of Majidi's three children, was residing abroad at the period of her mother's brutal death. She went back to Iran at considerable peril to pay respects at the burial site. Her sister Roya published a image of herself by their mother's grave with her scalp shaved on a private social media account. A acquaintance circulated the image, which was widely shared, eventually leading Roya to leave for Turkey.

Piraei stated: "Via legal filings and evidence the goal is to preserve evidence, name crimes and avoid historical oblivion." She described her mother's death as "systematic in nature but part of a common procedure."

Further Claimants Include Those Shot in the Eye

The other two complainants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both individuals who suffered eye injuries at point-blank by projectile weapons.

Eftekhari, a 23-year-old scholar, was shot in the right eye in late 2022. She had been protesting for an extended period, seeing fellow demonstrators being struck by lethal fire and being beaten herself with shock weapons. During a demonstration on October 12th, she was at a demonstration near a educational institution when a plainclothes officer fired at her with numerous paintballs from a distance of about a yard. He then allegedly shot her her face when she did not obey his order to scatter. A video of the attack depicting injuries from her face went viral, and she was later given refuge in Germany.

Shahinkar, aged 38 when assaulted on 18 October, only became aware what had happened when she noticed something wet on her eye. Fellow individuals cautioned her not to board an ambulance for fear of being delivered to a detention center. When she finally arrived at a treatment facility, a worker told her to go away because they did not help protesters. A medical professional saw her and sent her to a hospital, where Shahinkar claimed a object had accidentally injured her vision so she would not be refused care. She published images of her condition online, and in early 2023, undercover agents came for her, leading her to leave the country. She later received a renowned international award as a figure of the movement.

International Law Principle Provides Basis for Case

The collective seeking the criminal investigation say that the case is not viewed just as a paper exercise with little chance of a tangible resolution. The concept allows allegations to be probed in a foreign nation even if the offence did not occur in that jurisdiction and the accused is not located there. Argentina has some of the most liberal laws on such claims in the world.

The principle of international justice has previously led to dozens of sentences and the initiation of investigations regarding offenses committed in many nations. Legal actions are presently being prosecuted in several different countries.

As the request is only for a criminal investigation, and this is not a case for damages, there is no claim by the individuals for financial restitution. This filing would not be the initial legal action against Iranian officials initiated in Argentina.