Lower Saxony will be the first federal state to stop deporting people to Iran for the time being. Interior Minister Pistorius justified the step with the "catastrophic human rights situation" in the country as a result of the ongoing protests - and wants other countries to follow suit.
Because of the violent action taken by security forces against protests in Iran, Lower Saxony will no longer deport people to the country for the time being. Interior Minister Boris Pistorius also announced that he wanted to campaign for a general freeze on deportations at the next conference of interior ministers and to propose a corresponding resolution. "The human rights situation is catastrophic and the situation is becoming more dramatic every day," said the SPD politician.
The next conference of interior ministers is from November 30th to December 2nd. According to Pistorius, there have hardly been any deportations to Iran in recent years from Lower Saxony. In 2020 and 2021, a total of two men were deported.
The trigger for the demonstrations in Iran was the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September. The moral police had arrested her because of her alleged "un-Islamic outfit". What happened to Amini after that is unclear. The woman fell into a coma and died in a hospital on September 16. Critics accuse the morality police of using violence; the police deny it.
Since the woman's death, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the Islamic Republic's repressive course and the compulsory headscarf. At least 92 people have been killed so far, according to the Oslo-based organization Iran Human Rights.
