This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the 63rd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue with the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran held on September 21, 2026.
Mr. Vice-President,
“The day they killed her; it was as if they killed us all.”
These are the words of a relative of a young woman killed by security forces on January 8, for taking to the streets to demand a brighter future.
Over nine months has passed since her family pulled her body from a pile of body bags. They and countless other victims of authorities’ decades-long crimes continue to be denied justice.
The atrocities of January have not ended. Mass arrests, torture, and unjust prosecutions continue. An average of one protester per week has been sent to the gallows since March. Scores of protesters remain at imminent risk of execution.
And since the outbreak of conflict, people in Iran now face dual risks: further brutal bloodshed by their own government; and harm including possible war crimes by Israel and the US.
Iran’s authorities have used the guise of national security to further eliminate dissent. So emboldened are officials that they have explicitly threatened that security forces have their “fingers on the trigger,” ready to shoot at anyone daring to protest.
There currently are no prospects for justice inside Iran. The judiciary itself is a mechanism of repression. As such, we urge states to take action on the basis of the FFM’s recommendations on justice and accountability.
Concrete action is urgently needed to protect people from atrocities and hold those responsible to account through criminal proceedings.
We would like to ask the FFM to elaborate on the immediate and medium-term steps that could be taken in this regard?
Thank you.
