A group of United Nations human rights experts, in an official statement, called on officials of Iran’s regime to transparently disclose the fate and whereabouts of detainees and those who have disappeared during nationwide protests, and to immediately halt the implementation of all death sentences related to the demonstrations.
The statement, published on Thursday, February 20, 2026, warns about the situation of thousands of detained protesters and the widespread concerns of their families. According to the experts, Iranian authorities have so far confirmed 3,117 deaths and around 3,000 arrests, but human rights organizations estimate the real number of those killed and detained to be in the tens of thousands. Among the detainees are children, civil activists, journalists, lawyers, doctors, artists, and even Afghan nationals.
Amnesty International warns of execution risk for 30 protesters in Iran
The experts emphasized that many families are deprived of any regular contact with their loved ones and remain in complete uncertainty. They warned that the government’s refusal to provide information about the whereabouts of detainees intensifies the climate of ambiguity and mistrust and will reinforce “the worst-case scenarios.” The statement reads: People of Iran have the right to know what is happening in their country.
People of Iran have the right to know what is happening in their country
These warnings come as widespread internet restrictions have entered their sixth week. According to reports, full internet access is available only to government-approved users, while a large portion of citizens face severe limitations or must rely on expensive VPN services. At the same time, reports have emerged of street inspections during which security forces check citizens’ mobile phones for protest-related content, including images, videos, and social media activity.
Ms. Mai Sato and human rights rapporteurs described the situation in Iran as painful
The experts also expressed concern over the broadcast of what they described as forced confessions on state media and stressed that labeling protesters as terrorists while they are exercising their fundamental rights constitutes a clear violation of human rights principles.
The statement emphasizes that the prohibition of enforced disappearance, torture, and violations of the right to life are considered peremptory norms of international law and cannot be suspended or violated under any circumstances. The experts called for the immediate halt of all executions, disclosure of the fate of the disappeared, release of arbitrarily detained individuals, full restoration of access to communications, and the conduct of independent and impartial investigations into human rights violations.
Among the signatories of the statement are special rapporteurs and members of several human rights working groups, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on torture, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and other independent experts in the fields of judiciary, minorities, health, privacy, and counterterrorism.
This latest stance has pushed international pressure on Tehran into a new phase following the recent widespread protests and has made demands for transparency and accountability one of the central pillars of the international community’s expectations.
