Families of Ukrainian Plane Crash Victims Protest at UN; Government Forces Attack Protesters

A gathering of several family members of the victims of the Ukrainian plane crash took place in front of the United Nations office in Tehran, where they faced a "disrespectful and severe" response from a large number of government forces. According to the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752, some members of this association protested on Saturday, February 3, against the upcoming visit of Nada Al-Nashif, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, to Iran, demanding the cancellation of this trip. This peaceful protest ended with a significant presence of government forces and their "insulting" behavior. The families of the victims of the downed Ukrainian plane previously wrote in a letter to the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN: "Now that you are going to visit the large camp of hostages of the Islamic Republic regime, do not forget a few points; first, that the sky of Iran is not safe, and the UN High Commissioner’s plane could also be targeted by the IRGC missiles like the Ukrainian flight. Second, when you are forced to wear a headscarf to please the government officials, remember that dozens of women have been killed in the struggle against compulsory hijab. Third, the Iranian government has a particular interest in hostage-taking, and you are a suitable option for being taken hostage and bargaining with the passive Western governments and ineffective international organizations to extend your life by days and months with your release." Nada Al-Nashif is scheduled to visit Iran from February 2 to 5 to discuss two topics: "executions" and "women's rights." This UN human rights official's trip has previously faced protests from other human rights activists and plaintiffs. Shirin Ebadi, head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, Hamed Esmaeilioun, a plaintiff from Flight 752, which was shot down by IRGC missiles, and 25 other human rights organizations have separately demanded the cancellation of the Deputy High Commissioner’s trip to Iran to "prevent the Islamic Republic leaders from exploiting this visit." The "International Committee for Seeking Justice" also called for "unrestricted access to prisons" in Iran in a letter to Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ahead of Al-Nashif's visit. The UN Secretary-General expressed concern in November this year about the "alarming increase" in executions in the Islamic Republic, urging Iranian officials to immediately halt all executions, abolish the death penalty, and release all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained. Iranian officials, disregarding domestic and international requests, have increasingly executed opponents and dissenters following the Secretary-General's remarks, with the latest executions of Mohammad Qobadlou and Farhad Salimi occurring simultaneously in the early hours of January 23. The warning from the plaintiffs of Flight PS752 to Al-Nashif: IRGC missiles may also hit your plane. A warning from 25 human rights organizations: The Islamic Republic will use Al-Nashif's visit for propaganda. Hamed Esmaeilioun to Al-Nashif: Visit Evin Prison and meet with prisoners on death row. The downing of the Ukrainian plane: Narges Mohammadi: There was no punishment for the criminals; Abdulhamid: Justice was not served. Exclusive: Government forces prevented people from attending the memorial ceremony for the victims of the Ukrainian plane downing. The judiciary denied the release of the first defendant in the "Ukrainian plane case." A new complaint has been filed by Canada, the UK, Ukraine, and Sweden against the Islamic Republic at ICAO.