On 30 September 2022, Aban Tribunal chaired by GRC’s Wayne Jordash pronounced its judgement over the accusation of crimes against humanity during the 2019 nationwide protests.
The Aban Tribunal (The Iran Atrocities Tribunal) is an International People’s Tribunal investigating whether Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity and grave violations of human rights in the atrocities of November 2019, when nationwide peaceful protests over fuel prices were met with unprecedented repression from the Government, leaving thousands dead, injured, arbitrarily detained and tortured.
The Panel of six internationally renowned lawyers unanimously found that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for violating the following rights and freedoms: freedom of assembly, the right to life, the right to liberty and security of the person, freedom from enforced disappearances, freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sexual violence and rape, the right of access to justice, the right to dignity, including dignity of the dead.
The Panel further held that the available evidence demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that the Iranian government and the security forces designed and implemented the plan to commit crimes against humanity. Accordingly, crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual assault and persecution (majority, Rohan dissenting) were committed.
Finally, the Panel found that, more likely than not, 13 individuals designed and implemented the plan to commit crimes against humanity, their contribution was significant and/ or essential, and they shared a criminal intent to commit crimes against humanity in order to quell the protests and conceal the crimes committed. The list of these individuals includes Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Hossein Ashtari, Chief Commander of the Police of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Panel offered recommendations concerning accountability, redress and reparations to Iran and the international community. Specifically, Iran is urged to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into crimes and violations committed in 2019, institute criminal proceedings against those reasonably suspected of crimes, and ensure that its legal system allows fully for individuals to protest in line with the ICCPR.
Read the full judgement here: https://abantribunal.com/category/judgment/
Read more about the Aban Tribunal here: https://abantribunal.com