UN urges Iran not to use 'unnecessary' force as anti-hijab protest death toll touches 50 | Top points
India Today
The United Nations has urged Iran not to use 'unnecessary' force after the anti-hijab protest crackdown's death toll touched 50.
Over 50 people have been killed after Iranian security forces cracked down on the crackdown on protests that erupted over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s morality police, an Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said.
The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said the rise in the toll came after six people were killed by fire from the security forces in the town of Rezvanshahr in the northern Gilan province on Thursday night, with other deaths recorded in Babol and Amol, also in northern Iran, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for Iranian security forces to refrain from using "unnecessary or disproportionate force" against anti-government protests.
He also urged everyone to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation, said Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
"We are concerned about reports of peaceful protests being met with excessive use of force leading to dozens of deaths and injuries," Dujarric told reporters in New York. "We further call on the authorities to respect the right to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association."
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has said the US treasury and state department were helping expand internet freedom in Iran amid the government crackdown.
