WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the unveiling of the State Department’s annual report on global human rights to spotlight the Iranian regime’s six-month-long crackdown on protesters. 

Iran has been convulsed by anti-government protests since 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September following her arrest for an alleged dress code violation. The State Department’s report details significant human rights issues at the hands of the Iranian government, including unlawful or arbitrary killings, forced disappearance and torture. 

“Iranian forces are using torture and gender-based violence against arrested protesters. Journalists and lawyers are harassed and preemptively detained. Sham trials and hasty executions are used to further intimidate the people of Iran,” Blinken told reporters Monday. 

“The international community has come together to condemn and confront Iran’s brutal crackdown, and we’ll continue to act in support of the right of the Iranian people to speak out for their fundamental freedoms,” he said.