There are rules and world leaders must insist they are honoured in practice and in spirit. After this atrocity in Iran, a more effective tribunal for crimes against children is essential
The killing of a reported 168 people, primarily schoolgirls, in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab in Iran has shaken to its very core the conscience of the world.
The attack, carried out nearly two weeks ago when classes were under way, reduced the school building to rubble. Parents who had sent their daughters to school discovered minutes later that classrooms had become mass graves.
One mother, whose daughter Zeinab had memorised the Quran and was due to compete in a national recitation contest, wept as she said: “My dream died with her.” A UN human rights panel has already demanded that the killings must be “Urgently, independently and effectively investigated, with accountability for any violations”.
Which country is responsible for the massacre has been disputed. Over the weekend Donald Trump disclaimed any culpability on the part of the US. “We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions” he said on Air Force One.
