Amnesty International, in a statement, warned that credible evidence, including verified videos and eyewitness testimony, shows that Iranian security forces, during the crackdown on recent protests, have carried out widespread and unprecedented unlawful killings.
These actions coincided with a nationwide internet shutdown starting on January 8 and, according to the organization, were carried out with the aim of concealing the truth of the repression.
In the Amnesty International statement published on Wednesday, January 14, it is stated that since the start of the new wave of protests on December 28, the deadly crackdown on protesters—who have been largely peaceful—has led to an unprecedented rise in human casualties, and even according to official statements by Iranian authorities, the number of those killed has reached around 2,000. The organization stresses that the continued impunity for crimes committed by security forces during past and current protests has encouraged officials of Iran’s regime to persist with organized violence.
Bijan Mostafavi, a retired educationist, his wife, Zahra Bani-Amariyan, and Danial Mostafavi, their son and 19-year-old student, were shot and killed by Iranian regime security agents in Karaj on Friday, January 9th.
The family was inside their private car at the time of the… pic.twitter.com/gyqYDtFIAO— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 15, 2026
Amnesty International called on United Nations member states to take urgent and coordinated action to prevent further bloodshed, including convening special sessions of the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council. The human rights organization also proposed that, to end the cycle of impunity, international justice mechanisms be established to investigate and criminally prosecute perpetrators of international crimes and gross human rights violations, and that the situation in Iran be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, expressed concern about the intensity and scale of the killing of protesters since January 8. “Even by the Iranian authorities’ own bleak record of committing gross human rights violations and crimes under international law during successive waves of protests, the severity and scale of killings and repression since 8 January is unprecedented,” she said, adding that the international community must immediately take diplomatic action to protect protesters and confront the state policy of bloodshed.
According to the organization’s findings, security forces—including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Basij units, police, and plainclothes agents—have fired at unarmed protesters from the streets and even from building rooftops, often targeting their heads and upper bodies. Reports indicate that hospitals have been overwhelmed by an influx of wounded people, and families are searching for the bodies of their loved ones in morgues, warehouses, and even trucks.
Amnesty International says the continued internet shutdown has severely restricted the ability to independently and accurately document violations and has increased the risk of evidence being destroyed.
In conclusion, the human rights organization stressed that without accountability and prosecution of those responsible, the cycle of violence and repression in Iran will continue, and it is the responsibility of the international community to take concrete and urgent action to end this situation.
