SW News: One year since the nationwide protests due to the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, harassment of women and girls by Iranian authorities is on the rise, an independent UN investigative body said on Thursday.

Twenty-two-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested and forced into a van by Iran’s so-called morality police in the capital Tehran on 13 September last year. She was accused of violating the country’s strict laws on mandatory veiling. Amini died on 16 September reportedly after suffering a heart attack. Her family, however, denied she had any heart issues and alleged she was tortured to death.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran stated in a news release that a government investigation into the death fell short of international standards, particularly the criteria of independence and transparency.

Sara Hossain, the mission's chairperson, said that Amini should never have been arrested in the first place, adding that the government has since failed to ensure truth, justice, and reparations to her family, or to families of other victims, women, girls, and all protesters who have been subjected to violations of fundamental human rights.

“Instead, the Islamic Republic is doubling down on repression and reprisals against its citizens and seeking to introduce new and more draconian laws that severely restrict further the rights of women and girls,” she added.

The independent panel also stated that the whereabouts of her father and uncle remain unknown after being detained by security personnel in their hometown of Saqqez roughly 10 days ago.

Her grave was also desecrated, and her family was barred from grieving. The family's attorney and the journalists who were covering her case also suffered harassment at the hands of the authorities.

The death of Amini provoked widespread demonstrations.

The fact-finding team added that it is currently looking into claims that the State used excessive amounts of force in response to the protests, made arbitrary arrests, conducted unfair trials, carried out extrajudicial killings, and harassed victims' families. Such behaviors continue today.

Iranian authorities punish those exercising their fundamental rights, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly.

A bill that the Parliament is presently debating would expose women and girls to higher risks of abuse, harassment, and arbitrary arrest. The proposal calls for harsher penalties, including travel bans, the denial of education and medical care, and sanctions against businesses, for women and girls found to violate the laws requiring the wearing of veils. It also calls for higher fines and prison terms.