UN Fact-Finding Mission Concludes Iran's Protest Crackdown Constituted Crimes Against Humanity

A UN-backed fact-finding mission has stated that the Iranian government's suppression of the 2025-2026 demonstrations involved severe violations amounting to crimes against humanity.

According to the latest report presented by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, these offenses encompassed murder, imprisonment, torture, and other inhumane acts executed as part of a widespread and systematic assault on civilians.

The investigation revealed that Iranian security forces conducted large-scale killings across all 31 provinces, with the highest death counts documented in Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan, and Rasht.

Security personnel reportedly positioned themselves on rooftops and elevated points, firing assault rifles directly into crowds. In Karaj, security forces utilized tear gas to trap demonstrators within narrow alleys before opening fire, leaving protesters with severe wounds to the head, chest, and eyes from metal shotgun pellets, which occasionally resulted in permanent blindness.

The report indicated that at least 221 children were reportedly killed, including victims as young as two years old. Furthermore, security forces targeted healthcare facilities, beating and arresting wounded protesters as well as detaining medical workers, a tactic the mission noted deterred victims from seeking life-saving intervention.

On January 8, during the peak of the crackdown, the Iranian government implemented a nationwide internet and communications blackout. Lasting over five months, the mission characterized this as the longest recorded nationwide shutdown, stating that it unlawfully hindered information access and emergency coordination.

Tens of individuals were stripped of their liberty through mass arbitrary arrests and detentions. Those detained experienced torture, solitary confinement, and the denial of legal representation, while families received no information regarding their relatives' whereabouts, raising serious concerns over enforced disappearances.

Authorities also delayed or withheld the release of victims' bodies. In multiple instances, officials allegedly demanded payments, forced relatives to sign false statements identifying victims as state agents, and restricted or threatened memorial and mourning gatherings.

Subsequently, the government escalated its reliance on the death penalty against protesters. The report noted that at least 29 men were executed between March and August 2026 following expedited trials, which included five public executions linked to the demonstrations. Over 70 individuals, comprising five women and three boys, remained at imminent risk of execution.

The report emphasized that civilians in Iran were caught between gross human rights violations committed by the regime and the consequences of the conflict with the US and Israel. It stated there were reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes during two air strikes following US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Those strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 178 civilians, including women and children. Tomahawk missile strikes reportedly hit the clearly identifiable Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, claiming the lives of over 150 people, approximately 120 of whom were children.

While the US has not admitted involvement, it stated that the incident is under investigation. President Donald Trump suggested in March that Iran might bear responsibility, stating that other nations possess Tomahawks, while members of the US Congress have urged the administration to disclose its findings.

Additionally, the UN mission highlighted an air strike in Lamerd where Precision Strike Missiles released clouds of tungsten pellets over a clearly identifiable sports complex and residential area, killing 22 civilian men and women.

The mission concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe these actions constituted the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks that caused civilian casualties and property damage.

The UN called upon both Iran and the US to immediately halt violations and crimes, offer full reparations to victims, and ensure non-repetition, while also urging an immediate end to hostilities and renewed diplomatic engagement by UN member states to secure permanent peace and accountability through universal jurisdiction.