2026 Iran massacres

Since late December 2025, Iranian security forces have been carrying out mass killings of protesters during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. As of January 25, 2026, the total number of deaths was estimated to be over 30,000.[1] This makes them some of the biggest massacres in modern Iranian history.[2] [3] Around 135 security officers have also been killed, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA).[4]

The Iranian government imposed a near-total internet shutdown during the crackdown, making it hard for people inside Iran to communicate and for the outside world to learn about the killings.[5] Esmaeil Baghayi, a spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that security forces shot at protesters.[6] On January 17, members of a network of Iranian doctors described the killings as genocide.[7] On January 25, Time reported that a list showed 30,304 protest-related deaths recorded in civilian hospitals just on January 8 and 9.[1]

In a speech on January 17, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged that "several thousand" people had been killed during the protests.[8][9][10] On January 18, an Iranian official told Reuters that the government estimated more than 5,000 people had died in the massacres.[11][12][13] I am a former Iranian journalist and a witness to how the Islamic Republic exploited poor Iranians and Afghan refugees, sending them to die in Syria for Bashar al-Assad in exchange for money and false religious promises. Families were paid blood money after their sons were killed.

Background

Before the 2025–2026 protests, there were several instances of high numbers of protesters being killed and mass executions of political prisoners in Iran. For example, during the 1981–1982 Iran massacres, 3,400 people were executed.[14] In 1988, between 1,000 and 30,000 political prisoners were executed.[15]

Additionally:

  • 72 protesters were killed during the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests.[16]
  • Between 300 and 1,500 protesters were killed during the 2019–2020 Iranian protests.[17]
  • 551 protesters were killed during the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini protests.[18]

Number of deaths

According to HRANA (Human Rights Activists in Iran), at least 34 protesters were killed, and at least 2,076 people were arrested in over 285 locations during the first ten days of the nationwide protests (up until January 6).[19] On January 7, 13 more protesters were killed, bringing the total to 45.[20]

Reports and videos show that during the first seven days of protests, security forces used live ammunition, tear gas, and other crowd control methods, and made violent arrests.[21]

The Guardian reported that at least three children were killed, and over 40 minors were arrested during eight days of protests.[22]

Iran International estimated that 2,000 protesters had been killed in the two days leading up to January 10.[23] Time magazine reported that the death toll could be as high as 6,000.[24]

On January 8, at least 217 people were killed in Tehran.[25] Due to the internet blackout in Iran, reports of casualties were limited.[26] By January 12, Iran International estimated that at least 2,000 protesters had been killed by government forces in the previous 48 hours.[23]

On January 13, Iran International reported, based on government sources, eyewitness accounts, hospital data, and testimonies from doctors, that at least 12,000 civilians had been killed.[27] Most of the killings took place on January 8–9 and were carried out by the IRGC and Basij militia.[27] These killings were reportedly planned and ordered by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself, with approval from the government.[27]

On January 13, CBS News cited activists who feared the death toll could rise to 20,000.[28]

On January 25, Time reported that a list showed 30,304 protest-related deaths recorded in civilian hospitals just on January 8 and 9.[1]

Type of mass violence

On January 13, 2026, Hengaw stated that, based on its evidence, the killings of protesters were crimes against humanity. This is because government forces acted under a planned and widespread strategy to suppress the protests. They used deadly force, including shooting civilian protesters on purpose, leading to mass killings across different parts of Iran. Hengaw confirmed that at least 2,500 people were killed.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kay Armin Serjoie; Roxana Saberi; Fatemeh Jamalpour (25 January 2026). "Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Wikidata Q137884558. Archived from the original on 25 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Day Twenty-Six of the Protests: Government Commits Violence, Denies Responsibility, and Continues Mass Arrests". Human Rights Activists in Iran News Agency. Human Rights Activists in Iran. 22 January 2026. Wikidata Q137861276. Archived from the original on 25 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown as blackout deepens". Iran International. 13 January 2026. Wikidata Q137774553. Archived from the original on 26 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "Death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spikes to at least 2,000, activists say". AP News. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "How Iran's regime has hidden its brutal crackdown". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  6. ↑ "سخنگوی وزارت خارجه جمهوری اسلامی «شلیک مستقیم» به شهروندان معترض را تایید کرد". www.iranintl.com (in Persian). 2026-01-12. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  7. ↑ Lamb, Christina (2026-01-17). "Iran report says 16,500 dead in 'genocide under digital darkness'". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  8. ↑ Burgess, Habibiazad, Jack, Ghoncheh (17 January 2026). "Iran supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed during recent protests". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Humayun, Hira (18 January 2026). "Iran's supreme leader admits thousands were killed in protests supported by 'criminal' Trump". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Shahla, Arsalan (17 January 2026). "Iran's Supreme Leader Concedes Thousands Killed In Unrest". Bloomberg.
  11. ↑ "Iranian official says verified deaths in Iran protests reaches at least 5,000". Reuters. 18 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Iran protests: Verified death toll reaches at least 5,000, says official". The Hindu. 18 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Live: At least 5,000 people have been killed during Iran's nationwide protests, official says". France24. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Nasiri, Shahin; Faghfouri Azar, Leila (28 July 2022). "Investigating the 1981 Massacre in Iran: On the Law-Constituting Force of Violence". Journal of Genocide Research. 26 (2): 164–187. doi:10.1080/14623528.2022.2105027. S2CID 251185903.
  15. ↑ "Blood-soaked secrets: Why Iran's 1998 Prison Massacres are ongoing crimes against humanity" (PDF). Amnesty International. 4 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  16. ↑ BBCPersianTV (8 June 2012). "BBCPersian: The cases of the victims of the 2009 election". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  17. ↑ "Iran: At least 23 children killed by security forces in November protests – new evidence". Amnesty International. 4 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths". Iran Human Rights. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14.
  19. ↑ "هرانا: دست‌کم ۷ نفر در اعتراضات مردمی کشته و ۱۱۹ نفر بازداشت شده‌اند" [HRANA: At least 7 people have been killed and 119 people have been arrested in public protests]. Radio Zamaneh (in Persian). Netherlands. 2 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  20. ↑ Day 12 of Iran Protests: At Least 45 Including 8 Children Killed, Iran Human Rights, 8 January 2026, Wikidata Q137734253, archived from the original on 3 April 2026
  21. ↑ "HRANA: At least 174 protest locations recorded across Iran in the past seven days". Iran International (in Persian). 3 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  22. ↑ Parent, Deepa (2026-01-05). "Three children dead in Iran protests as security forces accused of 'indiscriminate targeting'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  23. 1 2 "Mass killings reported as security forces use live fire on Iran protesters". Iran International. 10 January 2026. Archived from the original on 2026-01-11. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  24. ↑ Karl Vick; Kay Armin Serjoie (12 January 2026). "Death Toll in Iran May Already Be in the Thousands". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Wikidata Q137768548. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026.
  25. ↑ Jamalpour, Fatemeh (9 January 2026). "Doctor Says More Than 200 Reported Dead in Tehran Protests". Time. Archived from the original on 2026-01-10. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  26. ↑ Mojtahedi, Negar (2026-01-09). "'People die in the dark': experts decry Iran's 'worst internet shutdown'". www.iranintl.com. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  27. 1 2 3 "زنده – ایران‌اینترنشنال از کشتار سازمان‌یافته ۱۲ هزار ایرانی خبر داد؛ بیشتر کشته‌شدگان زیر ۳۰ سال داشتند". www.iranintl.com (in Persian). 2026-01-13. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
  28. ↑ Tucker Reals; Elizabeth Palmer; Ramy Inocencio; Joanne Stocker (13 January 2026), Over 12,000 feared dead after Iran protests, as video shows bodies lined up at morgue, CBS, Wikidata Q137777642, archived from the original on 28 February 2026
  29. ↑ Crimes against humanity by the Islamic Republic of Iran – Hengaw urges international action, Hengaw, 13 January 2026, Wikidata Q137778863, archived from the original on 13 January 2026
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