Demands are intensifying for an independent investigation into an attack on a girls' school in southern Iran that killed 165 young pupils this week, with United Nations experts denouncing the deadly bombing as "a grave assault on children." In a statement on Friday, a group of UN experts said girls between the ages of seven and 12 were the main victims of the attack on the primary school in Minab on Saturday.
The experts stated: "An attack on a functioning school during class hours raises the most serious concerns under international law and must be urgently, independently, and effectively investigated, with accountability for any violations." They added: "A strike on a school represents a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community. There is no excuse for killing girls in a classroom."
Rights advocates have pointed to the Minab school attack as evidence of potential war crimes being committed by Israel and the US in a conflict that legal experts say was launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law. They also say it exemplifies the heavy toll Iranian civilians are paying, with at least 1,332 people killed so far, according to latest figures cited by Iran's state media.
Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, told reporters on Monday that the school was "deliberately destroyed" in US-Israeli attacks. He emphasized: "As a result, 165 innocent schoolgirls were martyred. I repeat it – 165 schoolgirls martyred." Investigations published in recent days suggest the administration of US President Donald Trump was responsible for the attack.
The Reuters news agency, quoting two unnamed US officials, reported on Thursday that American military investigators believe US forces were likely responsible. Using satellite imagery, verified videos, and official statements, The New York Times also said US forces "were most likely to have carried out the strike" while attacking an adjacent naval base operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was investigating the incident. She claimed: "The Department of War and the United States armed forces do not target civilians." UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday: "Whatever outcome there will be of the investigations, we hope they will be prompt and that they will be done in full transparency."
Turk stressed in Geneva: "We also expect accountability to be served because obviously mistakes were clearly made." He added: "It is a lesson to be learned – a horrible, tragic lesson to be learned – when girls are killed in this way." Meanwhile, the US-based advocacy group DAWN has urged Iran to grant the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory since the war began.
Source: www.aljazeera.com