Security forces fired at protesters, injuring at least one and arresting over 10, of which only 7 have been released.
The report below was published by Amnesty International: Iranian authorities must carry out an impartial and thorough investigation into reports that security forces used unnecessary and excessive force, possibly including firearms, against generally peaceful protesters during recent protests in Khuzestan province, where people have been demanding clean and safe drinking water, Amnesty International said today.
Reports by Persian-language media outside Iran have indicated that the number of protesters injured in the demonstration in Khorramshahr on 30 June [2018] was higher than that disclosed by the authorities.
It may therefore only be used for dispersal if violence has reached such a level that security forces cannot contain the threat by means which can directly affect the violent individuals only.
Amnesty International calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that there is an impartial and effective investigation into the use of force by the security forces in the demonstrations in Khorramshahr on 30 June, with a view to establishing responsibilities and accountability of the officers involved, including at various levels of the command structure in charge during those events.
According to Human Rights Activists News Agency, an independent human rights group, dozens of people have been arrested in Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Ahvaz in connection with the protests, though at least seven individuals from Ahvaz are reported to have since been released.
Iran has experienced serious water problems for years, depriving people frequently of their human right to have adequate access to clean and safe water.
Khuzestan is one of the provinces that has been particularly affected by Iran’s water crisis.
Clean, safe water is crucial for human survival and health, and this is reflected in international human rights law, where access to adequate clean and safe drinking water is a key right.
Access to traditional water sources in rural areas should be protected from unlawful encroachment and pollution.” In her 2013 report, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation stated, "Human rights standards demand that States invest the ‘maximum available resources’ in water and sanitation sectors.