Concerns Over the Situation of Two Witnesses from the 'Aban People's Tribunal'; Possibility of Fatemeh Davand's Deportation from Turkey and Rejection of Fatemeh Khushru's Asylum Request from Georgia

On Saturday, August 20, the Iran Human Rights Organization reported the possibility of the deportation of Fatemeh Davand, a Kurdish citizen from Boukan who was arrested during the November 2019 protests, currently residing in Turkey. The organization stated that Fatemeh Davand was arrested on August 4 while attempting to "exit without documents" from Turkey, along with her 18-year-old child, and was transferred to the Aydin camp where detainees are sent before deportation from Turkey. Ms. Davand is one of the individuals who testified at the Aban People's Tribunal. This tribunal was established by three organizations: "Justice for Iran," "Iran Human Rights," and the international organization "Together Against the Death Penalty" in response to the demands of the families of victims and survivors of the November 2019 protests. In October 2022, this tribunal announced that the government and security forces of the Islamic Republic had "undoubtedly" committed "crimes against humanity." The widespread protests of 2019 began on November 24 with the sudden announcement of a gasoline price increase in various cities in Iran and faced severe repression from security forces. Amnesty International reported that over 300 people were killed in those protests, while Reuters reported approximately 1,500 deaths caused by the government forces. Fatemeh Khushru, another witness of the Aban People's Tribunal, also announced on social media platform "X" that her asylum request was rejected by the Georgian Refugee Agency. Ms. Khushru wrote that due to the "insecurities" that arose after her testimony at the Aban People's Tribunal, she moved from Turkey to Georgia, and now, after two and a half years, this country has rejected her asylum request. The NGO "Justice for Iran," one of the organizers of the Aban People's Tribunal, has urged the governments of Turkey and Georgia to adhere to their commitments under the Refugee Convention and international human rights laws by recognizing and supporting the right to asylum for Ms. Davand and Ms. Khushru, as well as the right to life and the prohibition of torture. The Iran Human Rights Organization also emphasized that the deportation of Fatemeh Davand from Turkey and her handover to the Islamic Republic would put her at risk of death, imprisonment, abuse, and torture. A few days after her arrest in Iran, Fatemeh Davand was forced to make a televised confession and, according to human rights organizations, was subjected to physical and psychological torture for 13 days in the detention center of the Urmia Intelligence Department to obtain forced confessions. The Iran Human Rights Organization has requested the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to facilitate Ms. Davand's transfer to a third country.