Iran’s representative to UN accuses ISIL of perpetrating violence in the country
Published by RawNews1st
Iran’s nationwide protest movement appeared to have slowed on Thursday under the weight of a brutal crackdown by authorities that has left thousands dead and put tens of thousands in prison.
In Tehran, Iranians reported relative calm on the streets as the sound of gunfire faded and fires were extinguished – a marked contrast from the weeks before when large crowds confronted security forces.
Iran’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, has claimed that some violence targeting civilians and security personnel in Iran was carried out by ISIL (ISIS).
“I speak today on behalf of a nation in mourning,” the Iranian envoy told the UNSC. “I wish to express my deepest condolences and sympathy with a heavy and grieving heart to the brave people of my country and to the families of many victims.”
Darzi accused the US of directing “mercenaries” to carry out crimes in the country and accused Washington of perpetrating “lies … and deliberate misinformation to conceal” its “direct involvement”.
China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations has warned that rising tensions around Iran risk pushing the Middle East towards conflict, calling on the United States to abandon threats of force and all parties to exercise restraint.
“The United States has continued to make statements on the situation in Iran, and has openly issued threats of the use of force against Iran”, Sun Lei told the UN Security Council. “As a result, clouds of war are gathering over the Middle East, and the tensions in the region continue to escalate.”
Reaffirming Beijing’s opposition to military action, the envoy said, “the use of force can never solve problems”.
Another woman, accused of dropping concrete blocks on security forces, said as Ejei interrogated her: “I don’t know what happened, why I did something so foolish.”
From the very beginning, state media have broadcast footage of such confessions, as authorities attempt to cast the protests as a foreign-instigated movement to destabilise Iran.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said: “Confessions that were obtained under coercion and torture being aired prior to legal proceedings violate the right of defendants to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Protests started on 28 December after a sudden slide in the value of the country’s currency, and quickly expanded to demands for political reform and even an end to the Iranian regime. The protest movement spread to all 31 provinces. It is the most serious bout of unrest the government has faced in decades.
