Iran: Architects of Crimes Against Humanity Must Face International Justice
Amnesty International’s landmark report, published on 16 September 2026, concludes that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the brutal suppression of the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising.
The more than 1,000-page investigation documents unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary imprisonment, rape and persecution. Amnesty International identifies 87 Iranian officials who should be investigated for crimes against humanity, tracing responsibility through the security forces and the state’s chain of command.
The report records the unlawful killing of 377 protesters and bystanders, including 56 children, and documents how security forces used military-grade weapons and lethal force against largely unarmed protesters. Amnesty also found that Kurdish and Baluchi communities were disproportionately targeted, with 62% of the recorded victims coming from these communities despite their much smaller share of Iran’s population.
Amnesty warns that systematic impunity has allowed those responsible to remain in positions of power, creating a grave risk of further atrocities. The organisation therefore calls on the UN General Assembly to establish an international criminal justice mechanism for Iran and urges the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Iran to the International Criminal Court. It also calls on countries around the world to pursue investigations under universal or other forms of extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The report further warns that the cycle of repression has continued, with the mass killings during the January 2026 protests demonstrating the devastating consequences of allowing impunity to persist.
Read the full Amnesty International report:Iran: Architects of Atrocities — State Machinery Orchestrating Crimes Against Humanity in Iran’s 2022 Woman Life Freedom Uprising
Source: Amnesty International, 16 September 2026 .
