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Rights groups hold Iran election protests in over 100 cities worldwide

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Protesters in over 100 cities gathered on Saturday to show opposition to the alleged Iranian human and civil rights violations which followed the nation's controversial presidential election. The Global Day of Action was organized by United for Iran, a coalition made up of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Nobel Women's Initiative and sought: That the international community uphold the Iranian people's human rights as a matter of international concern, and that the UN Secretary General should immediately appoint a delegation to travel to Iran to investigate the fate of prisoners as well as disappeared persons;The immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists, students, and civil society activists;An end to state-sponsored violence, and accountability for crimes committed; andFreedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of press as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran's obligations under international covenants that it has signed. Iran has been experiencing political unrest since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared his victory in June. Amnesty International estimates that hundreds and possibly thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested by Iranian authorities. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch reported that some arrested protesters were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with torture in an effort to force false confessions. The number of deaths during post-election protests in Tehran exceeds government reports, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI).

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 27, 2009 (boomark / email).