Iran is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis amid nationwide protests, with alarming reports of mass killings, arrests, and severe repression. An Iranian official has admitted that around 3,000 people have been killed, while other sources suggest the true death toll may be significantly higher. Independent human rights organisations report hundreds to thousands of confirmed deaths, including children, with many more cases still under investigation.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, Iran’s security forces have used extreme and unlawful violence against largely peaceful protesters. The UN has expressed grave concern over the escalating brutality, warning that this cycle of violence must not continue.
Human rights monitors report that at least 10,700 people have been detained, with numerous cases of forced confessions, arbitrary arrests, and house-to-house searches. Entire regions have been militarised, with cities blocked by checkpoints, heavy military deployments, and widespread restrictions on movement. A near-total internet and communications blackout has further isolated civilians and obstructed independent documentation of abuses.
Despite repression, protests continue across the country, underscoring the population’s demand for dignity, justice, and basic freedoms.
We call on the international community to take urgent action, to hold perpetrators accountable, to protect civilians, and to be the voice of those silenced inside Iran.
