Iran: Civil Society Organisations Urge UN Action on Iran’s Protest Killings

The OMCT along with 64 civil society organisations have jointly called on UN Human Rights Council member states to urgently convene a special session on Iran, in response to an unprecedented escalation in mass unlawful killings of protesters since late December 2025. Thousands have been killed during a largely peaceful nationwide uprising, particularly since 8 January, when authorities imposed a near-total internet shutdown to conceal violations. Verified videos, eyewitness accounts, and information from journalists, medical workers, and victims' families point to a coordinated use of lethal force by security forces, including the use of rifles and shotguns with metal pellets fired at protesters' heads and torsos, raids on hospitals, and widespread arrests, including of children. Families report searching for loved ones among body bags and overflowing morgues, while detainees face enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention, and a high risk of torture and other ill-treatment.