At least 23 minors aged 11 to 17 died in September during protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, Amnesty International said in a report published on Friday.
They included 20 boys aged 11 to 17 and three girls aged 16 to 17. Security forces beat four victims to death, including the three girls, the human rights NGO said. Most of the boys were killed by bullets fired by security forces, according to the report.
The protest movement in Iran began on 16 September after Amini's death in hospital. She had been arrested three days earlier for not respecting the strict dress codes in force in the Islamic Republic regarding the wearing of the veil.
Amnesty International identified a total of 144 people who died during the protests between 19 September and 3 October but estimated that the real toll was higher. The 23 minors represented 16% of the death toll.
The human rights organisation criticised the management of the crisis by the United Nations Human Rights Council and called for the holding of a “rapid special session” of the Council and “procedures for independent investigation into Iran.”
Amnesty also denounced impunity in Iran. “Those responsible must be prosecuted,” the NGO urged.
