[JURIST] Protesters in more than 100 cities [list] gathered Saturday to show opposition to the alleged Iranian human and civil rights violations which followed the nation's controversial presidential election [JURIST news archive]. The Global Day of Action [official website] was organized by United for Iran, a coalition made up of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Nobel Women's Initiative [advocacy websites] and sought:

1. That the international community uphold the Iranian people’s human rights as a matter of international concern, and that the UN Secretary General should immediately appoint a delegation to travel to Iran to investigate the fate of prisoners as well as disappeared persons;
2. The immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists, students, and civil society activists;
3. An end to state-sponsored violence, and accountability for crimes committed; and
4. Freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of press as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran’s obligations under international covenants that it has signed.

Iran has been experiencing political unrest since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] declared his victory in June. Amnesty International estimates [detainee list] that hundreds and possibly thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested by Iranian authorities. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch reported [text; JURIST report] that some arrested protesters were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with torture in an effort to force false confessions. The number of deaths during post-election protests in Tehran exceeds government reports [press release; JURIST news report], according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) [advocacy website].