Protests that began on 28 December 2025 in response to the collapse of Iran's national currency rapidly spread across the country. Rather than addressing these grievances, demonstrations have been met with militarized responses. According to credible information from Iranian human rights monitors and independent media outlets, over 2'400 people have been killed including 13 children, in recent days and weeks, including protesters and bystanders, with over 18'400 people reportedly arrested in connection with the protests.

Open protests have subsided in many areas. The OMCT has received credible information that repression continues through widespread security deployments, including by the Basij, a paramilitary organisation. Cities are described as largely shut down from the afternoon onwards, with soldiers, armoured vehicles, and checkpoints deployed across public spaces. People are stopped, searched, and reportedly arrested based on suspected participation in earlier protests, including through checking of mobile phones. Security forces reportedly continue to use live ammunition against individuals deemed "suspicious," even in the absence of demonstrations.

The OMCT is further alarmed by reports of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees. The risk of torture is heightened in situations of mass arrests, especially where detainees are held incommunicado, denied access to legal counsel, or subjected to coercive interrogations. Expedited judicial proceedings violate fair trial guarantees and may facilitate miscarriages of justice. Reports further indicate that injured individuals have been denied medical care or were arrested when seeking treatment in hospitals. Authorities have also imposed a prolonged internet shutdown now lasting for more than a week to prevent information from emerging.

These practices stand in clear violation of Iran's obligations under international human rights law. Authorities must presume assemblies to be peaceful and priorities dialogue and de-escalation. Any use of force must comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and accountability. Firearms must never be used except where strictly unavoidable to protect life. The targeting of demonstrators, bystanders, or individuals fleeing arrest is unlawful and may constitute extrajudicial killing. The deployment of militarised and paramilitary forces for civilian policing tasks further heightens the risk of serious human rights violations.

The OMCT is moreover alarmed by reports that arrested protesters are being rushed through the courts, with some facing the death penalty. Executions carried out in this context may amount to extrajudicial or arbitrary deprivation of life.

These violations are not isolated. They form part of a long-standing pattern of repression and impunity, also observed during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests where excessive force, mass arrests, torture, and executions were used to silence dissent and instil fear.

The OMCT calls on the Iranian authorities to:

• Immediately cease the use of lethal force and unlawful violence against protesters;
• Release all individuals arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and expression;
• Ensure access to medical care for everyone injured during protests and all detainees;
• Investigate all deaths, serious injuries, allegations of torture, and unlawful detention, through independent and impartial mechanisms;
• Suspend all executions and impose an immediate moratorium on the death penalty;
• Guarantee unrestricted access to information, including by restoring full internet connectivity and protecting journalists and human rights defenders;
• Ensure accountability for all officials and agents credibly implicated in violations, regardless of rank, and provide effective remedies and reparations to victims and families.

The OMCT calls on the International community to:

• Raise these concerns publicly and in bilateral engagement with Iran;
• Support independent international accountability mechanisms, in particular the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran by extending its mandate to investigate ongoing repression;
• Ensure that Iranian officials responsible for serious human rights violations are subject to targeted measures consistent with international law;
• Strengthen protection pathways for those at risk, including human rights defenders, journalists, and victims of State violence.