International response to the Human Rights violations in Iran since december 2025

Since December 28, 2025, the international community has responded with unprecedented force to reports of a massive and systematic crackdown on nationwide protesters in Iran. UN bodies, the European Union, and international legal organizations have launched investigations and imposed sanctions, demanding full legal accountability for the regime’s actions.

1. UN Human Rights council: securing evidence for future trials

On January 23, 2026, during its 39th Special Session, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a landmark resolution regarding the “deteriorating human rights situation in Iran” following the protests that began in late 2025.

Mandate extension of the fact-finding mission

The resolution includes several critical legal measures:

• Special Rapporteur: Extended the mandate of Mai Sato for another year.
• Fact-Finding Mission (FFM): Extended the mandate of the “Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran” for two years.
• Criminal Evidence: Tasked the FFM to investigate grave human rights violations in Iran and preserve forensic evidence and witness testimonies.
• Universal Jurisdiction: The explicit goal is to use this evidence in future criminal proceedings, whether in national courts (Universal Jurisdiction) or international tribunals.

Objective: preparing for legal prosecution

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk stated on January 23, 2026, that repression continues and perpetrators must be held accountable. Core UN Demands:

1. Urgent Investigation: Immediate probe into events since Dec 28, 2025, specifically the massacres of January 8 and 9.
2. Death Penalty Moratorium: An immediate halt to executions and the release of all arbitrary detainees.
3. End the Internet Blackout: Immediate restoration of full internet access to allow the population to document crimes.

Investigating crimes against humanity

Experts, including Special Rapporteur Mai Sato, have highlighted patterns of systematic violence, including lethal fire on crowds and mass arbitrary arrests. Media reports, such as Le Monde (January 2026), suggest death tolls are significantly higher than official figures, potentially qualifying the repression as Crimes Against Humanity under international law.

2. Attacks on medical neutrality and healthcare facilities

International bar association: violations of the Right to Health

On January 16, 2026, the International Bar Association (IBA) warned that security forces have entered hospitals to arrest wounded protesters and intimidated medical staff. These actions violate Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

WHO reports on attacks against medical units

On January 30, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported severe violence at the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam.

• Damages: Over 200 ambulances damaged and 50 paramedics injured.
• Statement: WHO Director-General declared, “Health care should never be a target.”

The BMA on “Perfidy” and Geneva Convention Breaches

The British Medical Association (BMA) pointed out on January 21, 2026, that the regime is using ambulances for troop transport, a serious violation (Perfidy) of the Geneva Conventions. Attacks on clinics in Ilam (Jan 4) and Isfahan (Jan 10) are being documented as war crimes in an internal conflict.

3. EU sanctions and the IRGC Terror Listing (January 2026)

On January 29, 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted a sweeping sanctions package.

Sanctioned judiciary and officials

The EU has targeted individuals directly involved in the “Summary Chambers” and the execution of protesters in Iran:

• Judge Iman Afshari: Presiding judge of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, known for draconian sentences against students.
• Eskandar Momeni: Interior Minister and head of the National Security Council.
• Mohammad Movahedi-Azad: Prosecutor General of Iran.
• Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari: Head of Public Security Police.

IRGC placed on the EU terror list

In a historic shift, the EU Foreign Affairs Council added the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of terrorist organizations, alongside Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

• Kaja Kallas (EU Foreign Policy Chief): “Repression cannot go unanswered. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”
• Consequences: Immediate freezing of all IRGC assets in the EU and a total ban on financial or material support.

4. National prosecution and universal jurisdiction

• European Parliament (Jan 22): Called for the strict enforcement of sanctions and the investigation of “grave crimes under international law.”
• International Commission of Jurists (Jan 19): Demanded an “end to impunity” for the pattern of severe human rights violations.
• Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: Recommended that states utilize Universal Jurisdiction to prosecute Iranian officials.

5. Documentation: the situation since december 28, 2025

Chronology of the 2026 Uprising

• Dec 28, 2025: Protests begin in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.
• Jan 1–7, 2026: Spread to over 100 cities.
• Jan 8, 2026: Total internet blackout imposed; start of nationwide massacres.
• Jan 29, 2026: IRGC officially designated as terrorists by the EU.

Documented Crimes and Suppression Methods

1. Military Force: Use of snipers on rooftops and machine guns fired from jeeps into crowds.
2. Health Care Attacks: Wounded people taken from operating tables; 800+ blindings documented at Noor Clinic.
3. Individual Cases: The deaths of Robina Aminian (23) and Taha Safari (16).
4. Cover-up Tactics: Bodies transported in refrigerated trucks for anonymous burial; reports of wounded being buried alive at Behesht-e Zahra.
5. Surveillance: Use of Chinese AI facial recognition (Hikvision/Tiandy) to track activists.

“The era of impunity must end. The international community is now gathering evidence for crimes against humanity.” — Eleanor Sanders, UK Ambassador to the UN.