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A group of victims of the state-led crackdown amid the 2022 "Zan, Zendegi, Azadi" uprising has initiated a landmark judicial filing accusing forty specified Iranian figures of suspected human rights violations.

Judicial Move Pursued in Argentina

The formal request for a legal inquiry to be initiated was filed within the Argentinian legal system. This move was made by a collective of Iranian nationals with support from a human rights advocacy organization. Argentina's legal framework are noted for hearing cases based on universal jurisdiction.

The document alleges that the actions from Iranian authorities to the protests entailed "shooting bullets, non-lethal projectiles, harmful pellets designed for short distances, and additional ammunition at civilians." The filing further describes widespread detentions, custodial torture, and executions of participants that allegedly persist to this day.

Confidential Names

Certain agents across the spectrum of Iran's intelligence apparatus have been identified in the complaint, but their names are currently being withheld from the public.

Individual Accounts Fuel the Legal Action

One of the litigants, residing in the United Kingdom Mahsa Piraei, stated that the aim "goes beyond revenge in a individual way, but responsibility and fact-finding." Her parent, Minoo Majidi, 62 years old, was shot dead in late 2022. Medical examinations indicated over 167 harmful shots had been fired into her posterior at near-contact distance. She had been participating in a gathering regarding the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who lost her life while detained.

Piraei, one of Majidi's three children, was living abroad at the period of her parent's tragic killing. She went back to Iran at significant personal danger to visit her grave. Her sibling Roya published a photograph of herself by their resting place with her scalp shaved on a personal social media account. A acquaintance circulated the image, which went viral, ultimately leading Roya to flee for Turkey.

Piraei stated: "Through legal filings and documentation the intention is to preserve evidence, name crimes and prevent erasure." She characterized her mother's death as "systematic in nature but part of a common procedure."

Additional Complainants Include Victims of Blinding

The remaining claimants who can be identified are Kowsar Eftekhari and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both individuals who suffered loss of sight at point-blank by marker guns.

Eftekhari, a university-aged scholar, was shot in the face in late 2022. She had been demonstrating for weeks, seeing fellow protesters being struck by lethal fire and being struck herself with electronic batons. During a demonstration on October 12th, she was at a rally near a university when a plainclothes officer fired at her with several projectiles from a distance of about a metre. He then allegedly fired at her face when she did not comply with his order to scatter. A footage of the attack showing blood flowing from her eye went viral, and she was subsequently given refuge in Germany.

Shahinkar, 38 at the time when attacked on 18 October, only realized what had transpired when she noticed something wet on her cheek. Fellow protesters cautioned her not to board an emergency vehicle for fear of being delivered to a police station. When she later reached a medical clinic, a staff member instructed her to depart because they did not help demonstrators. A physician saw her and directed her to a medical center, where Shahinkar said a stone had accidentally damaged her eye so she would not be refused care. She published images of her condition online, and in January 2023, individuals approached her, prompting her to go into exile. She later received a notable recognition as a representative of the movement.

Universal Jurisdiction Creates Avenue for Action

The group initiating the legal probe say that the filing is not considered just as a legal complaint with little chance of a tangible resolution. This legal principle allows cases to be probed in a different state even if the crime did not occur in that country and the accused is not located there. The Argentinian system has notably open laws on such matters in the world.

The concept of universal jurisdiction has historically resulted in multiple convictions and the opening of prosecutions covering crimes carried out in numerous states. Cases are at this time being prosecuted in multiple nations worldwide.

As the request is exclusively for a criminal investigation, and this is not a case for damages, there is no claim by the litigants for money damages. This case would not be the first instance against Iranian figures pursued in Argentina.