Election 2009

 

On June 12, 2009, Iranians took to the polls to vote for the next president of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).  What appeared to be a hasty vote count and resulting announcement of the incumbent as the winner led many in the country to allege electoral fraud in the days that followed.  Peaceful protesters immediately took to Iran’s streets to demand their votes back.

Those protests were met with swift retaliation from the IRI-led security apparatus, and in some instances, the use of deadly force.  Many protesters were arrested and jailed in the aftermath on spurious charges and reports of beatings, tortures and even rapes in detention quickly surfaced.

Since the election, little effort has been made by IRI authorities to investigate the role of law enforcement, prison and judicial officials in these abuses.  The documents reproduced on this page give a detailed account of those events, including first hand witness testimony from victim survivors and an analysis of the alleged perpetrators’ responsibility under Iranian and international laws.