Legal Complaint by Reza Izati, Eye Injury Victim from Security Forces; Still Engaged in 'Protracted Litigation'

Reza Izati, an eye injury victim, has filed a legal complaint against the officers who shot him with 22 lead bullets during the nationwide protests of 2022. According to his lawyer, Peyman Darafshan, the case has suffered from 'protracted litigation.' Darafshan told the Iran Watch website that 'after filing the complaint, Izati was sent to the Security Police of Alborz Province, and during this time, they were trying to determine his role in the protests, with a general view of making him appear indebted.' The report states that one of Izati's eyes has been blinded due to pellet impact, and according to his medical file, 'a significant number of pellets remain in his skull and body, which are non-removable and threaten his health.' Darafshan explained how the complaint was handled, stating, 'When the case reached the investigating judge of the Alborz Special Crimes Court, we went to the Special Crimes Court and announced that the citizen was there as a complainant, not as a defendant. The investigating judge accepted this in the same session and sent the case to the military court, but they also declared lack of jurisdiction, resulting in the case going to the Supreme Court, which ordered the military investigating judge of Alborz to handle it.' This lawyer stated that despite the military investigating judge ordering a referral for expert examination, the expert report 'was prepared without impartiality and in a way that if Mr. Izati had been arrested, the expert in the capacity of an officer would not have prepared such a harsh report against him.' Izati's lawyer protested the handling of this case, stating that according to existing laws, an 'assistance expert' should be selected, 'because there is no reason for an injured citizen to bear heavy litigation costs while the case is still under review.' Regarding the shooting incident involving Reza Izati, the lawyer explained that on November 12, 2022, coinciding with the fortieth day of Hadith Najafi's death, he was in traffic on the Karaj-Qazvin highway with his children in the car. Seeing that some were shooting and approaching the vehicle, he got out and waved his hands, shouting not to shoot at the car with his children inside. However, the officers shot at him. According to the report, during the investigation of Reza Izati's complaint, 'in a clumsy manner,' interrogation techniques were used, and the complainant was told, 'If you hide and do not disclose the matter, your student daughter will get into trouble.' During the nationwide protests, hundreds of protesters lost one or both eyes due to gunfire from security forces. Previously, Iran Human Rights Organization described the 'targeted' shooting of protesters in the head and face by the Islamic Republic's security forces as 'systematic.' Iranian officials have never taken responsibility for shooting at protesters' eyes and have accused injured protesters of lying. According to some estimates, during the nationwide protests of 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, over 500 people were killed, hundreds were injured, including those suffering irreparable eye injuries, and thousands were arrested. The UN fact-finding committee on March 9, 2023, reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran committed 'serious human rights violations' and 'crimes against humanity' during the 'violent suppression of peaceful protests' in 2022 and 'widespread discrimination against women and girls.' Amir Velayati, an eye injury victim, stated after his release from prison: 'Freedom is beautiful, but just being free is not enough.' The UN fact-finding committee deemed discrimination against women in Iran a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity. Exclusive: Families of the bereaved and eye injury victims demand the IRGC be placed on the list of terrorist organizations.