Iran Protest Crackdown: UN Rights Council Emergency Session

The United Nations ‌Human Rights Council will hold​ an emergency session on Friday to discuss the “alarming violence” used in ‍Iran against anti-regime protesters, while a ⁢group of states will call on UN investigators to document alleged abuses for future trials.

Rights groups say thousands were killed during the⁢ protests, which represented the biggest⁤ challenge to Iran’s clerical authoritarian government as 2022. As verifications of deaths mount,tensions have persisted between Iran and US President Donald Trump,who had ​previously said his threats to strike Iran resulted in ⁢the regime halting the deaths of more than ‍800 protesters. An Iranian official denied that claim on Thursday.

At least 50 countries backed the call for a special session of the UN Human rights Council to address ‍credible reports of violence,crackdowns on protesters and violations of international human rights law across the‌ country,according to a letter drafted by Iceland.

“The scale of the crimes is unprecedented,” Payam‍ Akhavan, a former UN prosecutor of Iranian-Canadian nationality, told Reuters ahead of the session, where he is set to speak.

“We are trying to set the stage for transitional justice in Iran, for the country’s nuremberg moment, should that come to pass,” he said, referring to the landmark criminal trials of Nazi leaders following World War II.

Iran’s diplomatic mission did not promptly respond to a request for comment from Reuters. ‌Authorities have blamed the unrest and deaths on​ “terrorists and ‍rioters” backed by exiled opponents and foreign adversaries such as the United States and Israel.

People walk past a burned building destroyed during public protests in the Iranian capital of Tehran on January 19, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

The proposal before the Geneva body seeks to extend ⁢by two years the mandate of ⁤a UN investigation established in 2022, after the previous wave ⁣of protests centered on women’s rights. It would also launch an urgent investigation into violations and crimes linked to the latest unrest that began on December 28, 2025, “for potential future legal proceedings.”

It was unclear who would cover the costs amid a UN funding crisis that has stalled other ​probes. Human rights advocates hope that ​the emergency session ‌will pressure Iran’s government.

“The session sends ‍a strong message to Iranian authorities that the international community is closely monitoring the

Iran Demands‌ IAEA⁣ Clarification on Attacks Near Nuclear Sites

Tehran is pressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to explain its stance on reported military attacks targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.Mohammad ⁢Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy‌ Association of Iran, stated on Thursday, January 23, 2026, ⁤that the IAEA must clarify its⁣ role regarding these attacks, which occurred under its supervision, according to Iranian state TV.

Eslami said Iran formally requested at the IAEA’s General Conference in September 2025 that attacks on nuclear sites be prohibited. He claimed this request was not added to the agenda ⁣and was afterward ignored.

IAEA Director General ​Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Tuesday, January 20,‌ 2026, that the agency inspected all 13 declared Iranian nuclear facilities that were not targeted in June 2025.