UN calls for probe into deadly strike on Iran school
The UN human rights office has called on the forces behind a deadly attack on a girls’ school in Iran to investigate the case and share their insights, without saying who they believe is responsible.
“The High Commissioner (Volker Turk) calls for a prompt, impartial and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The forces that carried out the attack have a responsibility to investigate,” UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday. he said.
“This is absolutely terrible,” Shamdasani said, adding that images circulating on social media captured “the essence of the devastation, hopelessness, meaninglessness and cruelty of this conflict.”
Turk also said that he called on all parties to act with restraint and return to the negotiation table.
The school in southern Iran was hit on Saturday, the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that U.S. forces “will not intentionally target a school.” Israel announced that it was investigating the incident.
Iran’s UN Ambassador in Geneva, Ali Bahraini, had previously raised the issue with Turk in a letter dated March 1, calling the attack “unfair” and a “crime”.
It was stated that 150 students died in the attack. Shamdasani said the Turkish office did not have enough information to make a determination as to whether the attack constituted a war crime.
