Crimes Against Humanity in Iran Protests 2026: Full Report on Killings and Repression

Iran 2026 protests expose crimes against humanity. Security forces kill thousands. Internet blackout hides evidence. Read detailed report with photos and clips.

Iran Human Rights Society, Tuesday, January 12, 2026 – In the wake of nationwide protests against the ruling structure, security forces have engaged in unprecedented repression of protesters through coordinated, widespread, and systematic policies. Numerous reports detail deliberate killings, deadly use of force, establishment of field courts, widespread arrests, and assaults on medical centers. The nationwide internet shutdown has also prevented accurate statistics, but according to some sources, the number of deaths reaches thousands.

Statement from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement expressing “horror” at the repression of the nationwide protests and called on the authorities of the ruling structure to stop the killing of peaceful demonstrators. In part of his remarks, he said: “The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and labeling protesters as terrorists to justify violence against them is unacceptable.”

Volker Türk also called for an end to all forms of violence and repression against protesters and emphasized: “Protesters have the right to demonstrate peacefully, their complaints must be heard and addressed, and they should not be exploited as tools by anyone.” He also expressed concern over statements by some judicial authorities regarding the possible use of the death penalty against protesters due to expedited judicial processes.

This statement reflects the international community’s concern about widespread human rights violations, especially in a situation where access to independent information has been made difficult due to the nationwide internet shutdown.

Internet Shutdown: A Tool for Suppressing Information

From January 7, 2026, the ruling structure intensified the deadly repression of protesters and, from January 8, 2026, imposed a complete internet blackout across the country, severely restricting access to communications. This action has seriously hindered the documentation of killings and other human rights violations.

According to civil institutions and independent media, the number of deaths in the protests has reached thousands, although the internet shutdown has limited the independent verification of these statistics.

The organization has also announced that it is gathering new evidence, including reviewing verified videos from morgues and hospitals, as well as eyewitness testimonies.

Meanwhile, reputable international news agencies have reported that an official from the ruling structure stated “about two thousand people have been killed in the protests,” although the identity of this official is unclear. The publication of these numbers indicates a significant discrepancy between official statistics and independent estimates.

The internet shutdown not only prevents information dissemination from affected areas but also deprives families of finding out the fate of their loved ones. Doctors and witnesses say they cannot collect statistics on deaths and injuries, and many people remain in complete uncertainty.

Mass Killings in Various Parts of the Country

Overlapping reports from multiple points across the country indicate mass killings of protesters in large and small cities. Security forces have repeatedly fired without prior warning at unarmed crowds in the nationwide protests.

One doctor present at a hospital in Tehran said: “In the protests on January 7, shots were fired from close range with live ammunition. From 9 PM to 6 AM, 18 serious surgeries were performed on gunshot victims. This level of violence was unprecedented.”

He added: “Many of the deaths in the protests occurred before reaching the hospital. In just one hospital over 24 hours, more than eight people who had been shot were brought to us; this while our usual daily mortality rate is around one person.”

Another eyewitness in Tehran Pars said: “Bassij forces, due to a shortage of personnel, are using 15- to 16-year-old teenagers and giving them shotguns. These teenagers were firing into the crowd participating in the protests, as if in a video game.”

In Shiraz, it is also said that in one area alone, more than a hundred participants in the nationwide protests were killed. These independent numbers, although not verifiable, indicate the very extensive scale of repression.

Assaults on Medical Centers and Denial of Treatment

One of the prominent aspects of human rights violations is assaults on medical centers and preventing services to the injured. Doctors at hospitals in Shiraz, Sina in Tehran, and other medical centers in Rasht, Sari, and Kerman have reported that security forces have disrupted the treatment process through threats and pressure.

Doctors have said that many injured individuals have avoided going to hospitals due to fear of arrest or direct threats from security forces. This has led to an increase in victims during transfer to medical centers.

In one example, a doctor at the Transplant Hospital in Shiraz said that hundreds of cases of eye removal have been reported, resulting from direct shots to the face and eyes of protesters. These types of injuries indicate the use of dangerous weapons against unarmed crowds.

Field Courts and Widespread Arrests

In many areas, numerous reports of the establishment of field courts and arbitrary arrests have been published. Those arrested have been tried in illegal courts without access to lawyers or fair judicial processes.

In addition, many detainees have been charged with serious offenses such as “enmity against God,” which carries the death penalty. Human rights organizations have warned of the danger of secret and arbitrary executions.

Field Testimonies of Repression Violence

Field reports indicate that security forces have filled the streets with military equipment and attacked protesting crowds with armored vehicles and heavy weapons. Ordinary people, from women and children to the elderly, have been targeted by widespread shootings.

One eyewitness said: “In the streets, people were unarmed, and when security forces fired without warning, people fell like dry leaves.”

These testimonies, along with images transmitted by individuals who managed to connect to the internet, show that the repression has been carried out on a widespread and targeted basis, to the extent that many bodies were even unidentifiable.

Call for Implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Principle

International human rights organizations and global authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the international community is obligated to implement the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) principle. This principle requires that in the face of crimes against humanity, the international community intervene to protect civilian lives.

In numerous statements, United Nations member states have been asked to immediately demand that the authorities of the ruling structure end the killings, provide full and unhindered access to an “independent international fact-finding mission,” and restore global internet services.

Human Rights Violations and Commission of Crimes Against Humanity in Protest Repression

In the course of repressing the protests, the ruling structure has committed a series of blatant human rights violations through systematic, widespread, and coordinated policies, which constitute crimes against humanity. These actions include deliberate killings, harsh repression, mass arrests, and organized disruption of communications.

Article 3 – Right to Life, Liberty, and Personal Security– Direct shooting at unarmed protesters is a gross violation of the right to life and physical security of thousands of citizens.
Article 5 – Prohibition of Torture or Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment– Detainees have been subjected to pressure, physical and psychological torture, and threats of execution.
Article 9 – Prohibition of Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile– Widespread arrests without judicial warrants and solely for protesting are a clear violation of this article.
Article 10 – Right to Fair and Public Hearing by an Impartial Tribunal– Field courts without legal processes have deprived defendants of the right to defense and the presence of a lawyer.
Article 12 – Protection of Privacy, Family, and Correspondence– Raids on homes, threats to families, and monitoring of phone conversations are blatant violations of privacy.
Article 19 – Freedom of Expression and Access to Information– The internet shutdown and widespread filtering have hindered the free flow of information and censored the reality of the protests.
Article 20 – Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association– Shooting at peaceful gatherings, banning assemblies, and collective intimidation constitute repression of the right to assembly.
Article 25 – Right to Medical Care and Health– Depriving the injured of treatment, threatening medical staff, and imposing security controls on hospitals are blatant violations of this right.

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