The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Center condemns the Iranian authorities’ violent repression of peaceful protests across the country since they started on December 28, 2025. This most recent wave of excessive use of force, including lethal force, mass arrests and detention, and enforced disappearances, together with the hardening of restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information, has reached new heights in the already severely authoritarian regime. These actions constitute grave violations of international human rights law and require a strong and coordinated international response. 

The protests were sparked by an economic crisis and deteriorating living conditions, and quickly spread across all 31 provinces of Iran. Unlike previous protests in the country, the repression by the Iranian regime this time has not been limited to major cities, but has spread across the country. Security forces have repeatedly fired into the crowd, and thousands of people have been arrested by security forces, including children as young as 14 years old. State authorities have refused to provide information regarding the detainees’ whereabouts, effectively subjecting them to enforced disappearance, as well as raising serious concerns about the risk of torture and ill-treatment while in custody. 

While the exact number of people killed and victims of detention and enforced disappearance has not been confirmed, some estimates by civil society organizations indicate that at least 6,800 people have been killed as a result of the violent crackdown, and the number could be significantly higher, with around 11,000 cases under investigation, making it an unprecedented attack on civilians that demands global attention.

The State-imposed communication blackout, with only intermittent internet connectivity, has severely restricted the pace at which information travels within and outside of Iran, posing challenges to evidence documentation. Therefore, the lack of definitive evidence regarding the full scope of casualties is itself a consequence of State actions. 

“The ongoing grave human rights repression in Iran triggers the international community’s responsibility to protect. States and international institutions have a duty to go beyond rhetorical condemnation to prevent further harm and uphold the fundamental rights of the Iranian people”, said Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. “Silence and inaction in the face of such repression only embolden further abuse,” she added.

While the current wave of repression is unparalleled in its scale and intensity, it builds on a long-standing pattern of severe limitations to freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, which, together with mass surveillance, criminalization, and vague national security laws, have created a totalitarian context in which no dissent is possible and accountability is completely absent.

We call on the Iranian Government to immediately cease the use of force against its citizens, and unconditionally release all individuals arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental rights. Those responsible for unlawful killings, torture, and other abuses must be held accountable in accordance with international standards.

We urge the international community, including the United Nations and its member states, to take decisive action to protect the Iranian population, support independent monitoring mechanisms, including the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, and pursue accountability for serious human rights violations. 

The Kennedy Human Rights Center stands in solidarity with the people of Iran and all those who courageously speak truth to power, demanding justice and dignity for all.