UN rights chief concerned about Iran violence: Via AFP: on Google.

GENEVA (AFP) — UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on Friday expressed concern over a spike in arrests after Iran's contested presidential election and the use of "excessive force" to quell protests.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights warned in a statement that illegal acts by militia and security forces "could provoke a serious deterioration in the security situation."

Pillay is "concerned about reports of an increasing number of arrests, which may not be in conformity with the law, and the possible illegal use of excessive force and acts of violence by some militia members," her office said.

A spokesman for the UN rights chief, Rupert Colville, said the number of arrests of political leaders and human rights activists was "not clear", but indirect information suggested it "appears to be somewhere in the hundreds."
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