Human Rights Watch Tuesday reported that Iran’s security forces repressing widespread protests have been using a series of unlawful measures against children within the country, which include killings, torture, sexual assaults and disappearances.

Iranian authorities have detained, questioned, and prosecuted children in violation of international legal protections and judges have prohibited the hiring of lawyers by the children’s families to defend them. According to Iranian Law, children may only be interrogated by specialized children’s prosecutors and tried only in youth courts. However, judges have found children guilty of crimes without conclusive evidence and tried them outside of the youth courts that have exclusive jurisdiction over children’s cases.

Between September 2022 and February 2023, Human Rights Watch looked into 11 allegations of child abuse and discovered new information about two cases that had already been recorded.

Since the death of Mahsa Amini, people calling for fundamental change have been violently suppressed by the Iranian government. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other rights organizations have provided evidence of the frequent use of fatal force on protesters, including children. Amnesty International claimed that Iran’s intelligence and security services have been engaging in horrifying acts of torture including rape, sexual assault against child protesters as young as 12, floggings, electric shocks and beatings.