Nationwide Crackdown in 1404 and Clear Crossing of the Threshold of Crimes Against Humanity

The nationwide crackdown in 1404 has placed the Islamic Republic and the consolidation of the pattern of “crimes against humanity” against citizens in the position of the accused.

The human rights organization “Han Gaw” based on field data, verified documents and information received from independent and reliable sources, declares that what the Islamic Republic of Iran implemented during the nationwide protests of 1404 is not a temporary reaction, but a calculated, organized and purposeful pattern of repression that clearly conforms to the definition of “crimes against humanity” in customary international law and the statute of the International Criminal Court.

Han Gaw’s findings show that the military, security and judicial structures of the Islamic Republic have coordinated their actions to crush civil protests with maximum possible violence. The deliberate killing of non-military protesters, including children, the widespread and lethal use of weapons against crowds, mass and arbitrary arrests, the establishment of field and military courts, and the obvious militarization of streets are all components of a unified policy to create public terror and silence society.

According to multiple and overlapping reports, mass killings of protesters have occurred in various parts of Iran. Multiple reports indicate that during recent protests, more than 10,000 citizens across the country have lost their lives, a figure that has proven to be underestimated and estimates show that the death toll has exceeded even this number.

The organization’s verification team is daily reviewing and confirming the identities of victims, and so far the identities of 80 deceased individuals have been verified and registered and published on the organization’s official platforms; a figure that undoubtedly reflects only a very small portion of the true scale of the tragedy.

At a more horrifying level, documented evidence indicates that government forces have not even spared medical centers. The siege and attacks on hospitals, including in Ilam and Tehran, are not only an explicit violation of international humanitarian law, but also constitute the deliberate deprivation of the wounded from medical treatment; conduct that itself is prosecutable as part of “crimes against humanity.”

Simultaneously, the Islamic Republic, through complete internet shutdowns and severe restrictions on telephone communications, which as of this report’s publication have entered the sixth consecutive day, has effectively turned the country into an information blackout zone. This deliberate and recurring measure demonstrates the government’s systematic effort to conceal the true scale of the massacre, prevent independent documentation, and evade international accountability.

It must be emphasized that when a state consistently and openly commits widespread and targeted killings of civilians, the international community is obligated to resort to the principle of “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P). In such circumstances, silence, neutral statements, or expressions of deep concern are not only insufficient but constitute indirect complicity in the crime.

Han Gaw also specifies in its report that relying solely on diplomatic and political pressures has effectively lost its deterrent effect. The international community must seriously place on its agenda all legitimate tools provided under international law, including binding coercive measures under the United Nations Charter; measures whose purpose is not political intervention, but immediate and effective protection of civilian lives and halting the government’s killing machine.

This human rights organization calls on Britain and the European Union to, as a first practical step, send a clear message by recalling their ambassadors from Tehran and downgrading the level of diplomatic relations: the continuation of “crimes against humanity” is unacceptable and the political immunity of the Islamic Republic must end. Such action is at least the responsible reaction of the international community to a government that has systematically and continuously trampled on the fundamental principles of international law.