Student Organizations to Nada Al-Nashif: The 'Criminal Government' of the Islamic Republic Will Exploit You

A group of student and pupil organizations from across Iran issued a statement referring to the 'murder of Sepehr Shirani' on the eve of a three-day visit by Nada Al-Nashif, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Iran, labeling the Islamic Republic as a 'criminal government.' In this joint statement, which bears the signatures of various student and pupil organizations and was published on Sunday, February 4, they emphasized to Al-Nashif: 'We have no doubt that the government is trying to exploit your presence in Iran to cover up its numerous crimes.' The signatories stated: 'You hear the voices of us students and millions of oppressed and suppressed people in Iran at a time when the Islamic Republic regime is recognized by us and the majority of the people as a murderous, aggressive, and occupying regime; we are engaged in daily struggles against this government, fighting on various fronts that include the right to dress and the right to life.' This statement from the students and pupils describes the Islamic Republic as a 'criminal government' that has committed crimes such as 'murdering citizens in the streets with live ammunition, blinding protesters and especially female protesters with targeted shotgun pellets, raping children and women in prisons, executing opponents and political protesters, and forcibly imposing hijab on women through flogging and beatings,' particularly in the last 16 months. The organizations that signed the joint statement added: 'What confirms our claim is that even during the writing of this letter to you and gathering signatures from student activist groups, we unfortunately learned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps killed a protesting student named Sepehr Shirani, who had been detained by the IRGC for his Instagram activities, and staged a suicide scene on the roof of his family's house!' The letter also references the execution of several protesters and mentions others who are 'in line for execution or receiving execution sentences.' The signatories emphasized: 'We expect you and your organization to have no trust in a government that is the organizer of all these crimes. By exposing these crimes to international forums, you can play an effective role in changing this inhumane situation in Iran.' The signatories also called for Al-Nashif to meet with families seeking justice, including the families of Mahsa Amini and Armita Garavand, political prisoners, and the families of those sentenced to death, as well as to meet with 'injured protesters, those who have been disabled, and individuals who have been 'raped,' as well as students and pupils deprived of education during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. The student and pupil organizations that signed this statement addressed Al-Nashif, saying: 'We want your presence in Iran to be accompanied by meetings with those who are the main complainants against the Islamic Republic and who are systematically suppressed by this criminal regime.' There have been widespread protests against Al-Nashif's three-day visit to Iran, which is intended to investigate the situation regarding 'executions' and 'women's rights.' Among them, a group of families of the victims of flight PS752 protested Al-Nashif's visit in front of the office of this organization in Tehran on Saturday and faced government forces. According to previous announcements, Al-Nashif was supposed to visit Iran on February 3 to investigate two human rights issues regarding 'executions' and 'women's rights,' but there is no information available about the execution of this UN official's visit to Iran. In the lead-up to Al-Nashif's visit, the wave of executions in Iran has intensified, with at least six political prisoners executed in Qazalhesar prison. In recent days, Reza Salmanzadeh, a member of the families seeking justice and a political prisoner, called on Al-Nashif to visit Iranian prisons, especially in Tehran and Karaj, and to meet directly and unselectively with known prisoners and the families of those who died in street protests. Additionally, 25 human rights organizations warned in a letter that Iranian officials would attempt to use Al-Nashif's visit as a propaganda tool to undermine human rights reports against the Islamic Republic. These human rights organizations pointed out that there are no signs of political will from Iranian officials to address these longstanding issues, particularly regarding 'executions' and 'women's rights.'