The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, released worrying information about the scale of violence used against protesters who have taken to the streets of the country since the end of 2025
According to reports that have reached her, mainly from doctors and healthcare professionals who manage to communicate despite the internet blockade imposed by the regime-many using Starlink-it is estimated that between 60,000 and 80,000 people have been killed by Iranian security forces.
In a recent interview, Mai Sato mentioned that initial figures were around 20,000 deaths, but independent sources and subsequent verifications point to a much higher number, between 60,000 and 80,000 victims.
She highlighted that not all healthcare professionals have safe conditions to report cases, indicating that the actual number may be even higher as more information is compiled and confirmed.
The rapporteur analyzed videos showing agents shooting directly at unarmed civilians, reinforcing accusations of excessive and lethal use of force.
In parallel, the International Center for Human Rights in Iran, based in Toronto, Canada, released a report on January 20, 2026, stating that at least 43,000 people were killed by regime agents during the crackdown.
This estimate is based on field investigations, verification of images and videos, interviews with internal sources-including a reliable source within the Iranian public health system-and comparative analyses.
The center notes that previous estimates ranged from 20,000 to 35,000, but were revised upwards after new confirmations.
The report also mentions approximately 350,000 injured and more than 20,000 arrests, warning that the death toll may be higher than reported.
The protests erupted on December 28, 2025, beginning with strikes by merchants and shopkeepers in Tehran against the unbearable cost of living, runaway inflation, and currency devaluation.
The demonstrations quickly spread to several cities, including the capital, transforming into a national movement demanding an end to the theocratic regime established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, almost five decades ago.
Faced with the scale of the mobilization, which involved broad sectors of society, the government responded with organized and intense repression.
Iranian authorities classify the protesters as “mohareb” (enemies of God), a crime punishable by death under the country’s law.
The regime officially admits to the deaths of thousands of civilians-with official figures varying in different reports, such as around 5,000 in some state sources or more than 3,000 in others-but categorically denies the massive scale of executions and killings reported by external organizations and the UN.
The repression included sniper fire from rooftops and overpasses, shootings with military and hunting weapons, attacks with motor vehicles, the use of tear gas in enclosed spaces, brutal beatings, home invasions, and even the kidnapping of wounded people from hospitals, many of whom were transferred to unknown or abandoned locations, resulting in further deaths.
Both the UN rapporteur and the human rights center are investigating whether these actions constitute crimes against humanity, pointing to the possible individual responsibility of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other commanders.
The situation has generated strong international condemnation, with reports of overcrowded hospitals, mass arrests, a complete communications blackout to conceal the facts, and denial of medical care to the wounded.
While the Iranian people face extreme violence in their pursuit of profound change, the world watches with growing alarm as the crisis unfolds, potentially marking one of the bloodiest chapters in the country’s recent history.
The international community is under pressure not to remain silent, as impunity could encourage further atrocities.
Published in 01/23/2026 18h56
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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