A twelve-second surveillance video from Tehran’s Tajrish Square reveals more than just a missile explosion. It’s a stark portrayal of lawlessness, terror, and a severe breach of fundamental human rights and international law, mirroring events repeatedly seen in Gaza. This direct attack on a civilian area demands immediate global scrutiny and accountability
Dr. Fariborz Mirsepasi, International Law Expert
In the twelve seconds captured by a surveillance camera in Tehran’s Tajrish Square, something far more profound than a missile explosion unfolds. These seconds encapsulate illegality, terror, and a blatant violation of fundamental human rights and international principles.
Contrary to the Israeli regime’s official claims of not targeting civilians, this video is clear evidence of a direct bombing of a densely populated urban area, with no indication of a military target. The same scenario, repeated many times in the Gaza Strip, was this time played out in the heart of Iran’s capital.
According to Article 51 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions (1977), civilians must at all times be protected against the effects of hostilities. Furthermore, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 13 of the Second Protocol emphasize that the civilian population shall not be the object of attack. The attack on Tajrish Square, a busy, civilian, and defenseless location, is a direct contravention of these principles and, under international law, constitutes a war crime.
However, the issue is not limited to the violation of international laws and regulations. We must also consider the impact these attacks have on public conscience, mental health, and people’s daily lives. Scenes of flames, smoke, screams, and terrified people running in a public space cause a form of collective trauma, not only for those present but also for millions who witness these images. In accordance with Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every human being has the right to psychological security and individual and social peace. Rocket attacks on public spaces are a direct violation of these fundamental rights.
Psychological and Sociological Dimensions
Based on psychiatric reports from war zones, children who witness such scenes suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), nightmares, social mistrust, and deep psychological crises. Women, the elderly, and families who were shopping or going about their daily routines in the square were not soldiers or threats; they were defenseless citizens who became victims of the Israeli regime’s “deterrence through terror” policy.
Beyond this psychological dimension, from the perspective of the sociology of international law, a warning must also be issued. Attacks on civilian areas in another country (without a declaration of war or UN authorization) are not only an aggression against that country’s territorial integrity but also signify the collapse of the international legal order established after World War II with the hope of preventing the recurrence of past atrocities.
The International Community’s Responsibility
The indifference of international bodies, the silence of the Security Council, and the complicity of Western powers, especially regarding Israel’s repeated crimes, have effectively turned this regime into an unbridled actor on the international stage, capable of creating human and psychological catastrophes at any moment by violating the sovereignty of nations.
Based on this, the international system has an urgent and moral duty:
- Form an international fact-finding committee to investigate this attack and other similar cases.
- Refer this attack’s file to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
- Establish an immediate mechanism for compensation for material and psychological damages to the victims of this attack.
- Pressure Israel through the United Nations to immediately cease attacks on civilian targets in Iran and the region.
The video released from Tajrish Square is not just visual documentation; it is a document for prosecution. A prosecution not only of those who launched the missile but also of the enabling policies that allow these atrocities to recur.
Let’s not be silent for twelve seconds; Let’s scream for twelve seconds for human rights, for law, for humanity.
