Amnesty says Iran committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in crackdown on 2022 protests

Amnesty International released a report on Wednesday stating that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 crackdown on the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, including murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearance. The report names 87 officials responsible, and warns that the 2026 crackdown was even more severe.

Amnesty International released a report on Wednesday stating that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 crackdown on the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. The report details murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearance. It names 87 national and regional officials in the chain of command, including former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and top IRGC figures, six of whom were killed in the US-Israeli war. Amnesty identified 377 protesters and bystanders killed, including 56 children, with at least 326 killed by security forces using metal pellets. The report warns that the 2026 crackdown on cost-of-living protests bore the same hallmarks but was even more severe, describing it as 'unprecedented massacres.' Amnesty urged the UN General Assembly to create a mechanism for prosecution.