Pezeshkian Extended the Activity Period of the 'Special Committee' Appointed by Raisi to Investigate the 2022 Protests

On Sunday, Masoud Pezeshkian met with the 'special committee' appointed by Ebrahim Raisi to investigate the 'unrest of 2022' and agreed to the request for an extension of this committee's activities. He claimed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a defendant in the issue of human rights due to some mistakes made during the unrest of 2022. The head of the Islamic Republic government did not mention the long history of systematic human rights violations throughout the current regime's existence, which has been documented in hundreds of reports by the UN and international human rights organizations. He stated, 'Unfortunately, our management and information system does not perform appropriately and correctly in times of crisis, and if we could have managed the events leading to this unrest correctly, perhaps the unrest would not have occurred at all.' Pezeshkian also urged committee members to inform the public about the positive actions taken by this committee with the help of 'expert media forces.' This committee published a report of its findings in the final months of last year, ahead of the Human Rights Council meeting, where a detailed report from the UN fact-finding committee was part of the agenda, which primarily defended the Islamic Republic's actions during the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the 'Guidance Patrol.' According to human rights organizations, at least 500 people were killed during the protests, and thousands were arrested. During the suppression of the protesters, dozens suffered severe injuries, including eye and bodily injuries. The wave of arrests in Kurdish cities continues ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. The UN fact-finding committee stated that the Iranian government has intensified efforts to suppress women and girls on the second anniversary of the nationwide protests. The UN criticized the 'gross violations' of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities during the past five years of protests in Iran.