Source: Amnesty International –
Iranian authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters across the country since 28 December 2025, marked by security forces’ unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today.
The organizations’ findings reveal how security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s police force, known by its Persian acronym FARAJA, have unlawfully used rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water cannon, tear gas and beatings to disperse, intimidate and punish largely peaceful protesters.
The crackdown has resulted in the killing of at least 28 protesters and bystanders, including children, in 13 cities across eight provinces between 31 December 2025 and 3 January 2026, based on credible information gathered by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
“People in Iran daring to express their anger at decades of repression and demand fundamental change are once again being met with a deadly pattern of security forces unlawfully firing at, chasing, arresting and beating protesters, in scenes reminiscent of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022. Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, must immediately issue orders for security forces to stop the unlawful use of force and firearms,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Protests erupted on 28 December 2025 following a sharp currency collapse, amid soaring inflation, chronic state mismanagement of essential services, including access to water, and worsening living conditions. Starting with shop closures and strikes in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, protests quickly spread nationwide, evolving into street demonstrations calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic system and demanding human rights, dignity and freedom. The authorities responded with violent dispersals and mass arrests, with hundreds already arbitrarily detained and at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
“The frequency and persistence with which the Iranian security forces have unlawfully used force, including lethal force, against protesters, combined with systematic impunity for members of security force who commit grave violations, indicate that the use of such weapons to crush protests remains entrenched as state policy,” said Michael Page, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International spoke to 26 people, including protesters, eyewitnesses, human rights defenders, journalists, and a medical professional, reviewed official statements, and analysed dozens of verified videos published online or shared with the organizations. An independent pathologist consulted by Amnesty International reviewed images of protesters injured or killed.
Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, must immediately issue orders for security forces to stop the unlawful use of force and firearms.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa
Senior state officials have demonized protesters as “rioters” and vowed a “firm” crackdown.
On 3 January 2026, when security forces killed at least 11 protesters, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said “rioters should be put in their place.” On the same day, the IRGC’s provincial corps of Lorestan province declared that the period of “tolerance” was over, pledging to target “rioters, organizers and leaders of anti-security movements … without leniency.”
On 5 January 2026, the Head of the Judiciary also ordered prosecutors to show “no leniency” to protesters and to expedite their trials.
UN member states and regional bodies, such as the EU, should issue unequivocal public condemnations and undertake urgent diplomatic action to pressure the Iranian authorities to stop the bloodshed, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said.
Given the prevailing climate of systemic impunity that has enabled Iranian authorities to repeatedly commit crimes under international law documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, including murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances to eliminate and punish dissent, the organizations call on other countries’ prosecution authorities to initiate criminal investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction, with a view to issuing arrest warrants for those suspected of responsibility.