UN rights chief: Iranian security forces detained wounded protesters inside hospitals

Iranian security forces have carried out mass arrests across multiple cities, including detaining wounded individuals inside hospitals, as part of a sweeping crackdown on anti-government protests, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk says during an urgent session of the UN Human Rights Council.

“We have indications that the security forces made mass arrests in several cities, even pursuing injured people into hospitals, and detaining lawyers, human rights defenders, activists, and ordinary civilians,” Turk says.

“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has reportedly opened criminal cases against athletes, actors, people involved in the movie industry, and the owners of cafes, on charges of supporting the protests,” he adds.

He also notes that the crackdown intensified on January 8, with security forces using live ammunition against demonstrators, resulting in the deaths of “thousands of people, including children,” urging the authorities in Tehran “to reconsider, to pull back, and to end their brutal repression.”