Rights group says Iran has subjected child protesters to ‘horrific’ prison abuse

PARIS — Amnesty International accuses Iran of subjecting children arrested in a crackdown on women-led protests to “horrific” abuse including beatings, electric shocks, and rape.

The London-based human rights group says it estimates that thousands of children have been arrested in the crackdown, with minors as young as 12 suffering treatment equating to torture.

Protests erupted in Iran in September over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, following her arrest for an alleged violation of Iran’s mandatory dress code for women.

The authorities have responded with a crackdown that has seen, according to rights groups based outside Iran, thousands arrested and hundreds killed by security forces.

Amnesty says security forces have been committing acts of torture against detained children, “including beatings, flogging, electric shocks, rape and other sexual violence” against child protesters as young as 12 to quell their involvement in the protests.

While authorities have given no clear breakdown on those detained, Amnesty says it estimates that “thousands of children could have been among those swept up in the wave of arrests.”