UN rights chief 'horrified' by violent crackdown on Iran protesters

The United Nations rights chief voiced horror Tuesday at the mounting violence directed at protesters across Iran, amid reports that hundreds have been killed.

"The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as 'terrorists' to justify violence against them is unacceptable," Volker Turk said in a statement, decrying the authorities' decision "to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change".