Amnesty International Warns: War Has Become Cover for Intensified Suppression of Opponents in Iran
Amnesty International has issued a fresh warning that authorities of the Islamic Republic have significantly expanded the scope of suppression against opponents, civil activists, and religious and ethnic minorities since the outbreak of recent military clashes. The organization states that since the war began, thousands of people have been arrested across Iran, dozens have been executed in political cases, and simultaneously, the longest nationwide internet blackout in recorded global history has severely restricted independent reporting and monitoring of human rights conditions.
According to a report released by Amnesty International, Iran’s security and judicial institutions have used what is described as “war conditions” to intensify pressure on critics and opponents. The report documents the arrest of over six thousand people, including journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, political activists, and members of ethnic and religious minorities, and states that many of these cases have been processed with unusual speed and without adhering to fair trial standards.
Amnesty International has also announced that since the start of military attacks in late February 2026, at least 39 people have been executed in politically-motivated cases. According to the organization, some of these individuals were sentenced to death following trials marked by forced confessions, denial of effective access to lawyers, and violation of defendants’ rights.
A key focus of the report is forced disappearances of detainees. Amnesty International states that families of many detainees have been unaware of their whereabouts or condition for weeks or even months. Among the names mentioned in the report are Nasrin Sotoudeh, Astareh (Maryam) Ansari, Elham Zare’atpisha, and Mary Mohammadi. The organization states that Mary Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Christian citizen, has been missing since late February 2026, and authorities have not provided clear information about her fate.
Another section of the report addresses the situation of religious minorities. Amnesty International states that security operations against members of religious minorities have intensified in recent months, with some facing heavy prison sentences. The organization has also reported multiple accounts of torture, detention in solitary confinement, denial of family contact, forced confessions, and restricted access to lawyers.
One of the most prominent issues raised in the report is the over 88-day shutdown of internet access in Iran; a measure that Amnesty International describes as the longest recorded internet blackout at the level of a single country. According to the organization, this widespread restriction not only cut off millions of Iranians from the outside world but also created conditions that made documenting and recording human rights violations significantly more difficult. Independent reports also indicate that this internet shutdown has caused extensive damage to Iran’s online businesses and digital economy.
Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director of research, policy, advocacy and campaigns at Amnesty International, stated in a section of the report: “Iranian authorities are exploiting this crisis to further undermine the human rights of the Iranian people; people who are already suffering from the devastating consequences of unlawful air attacks by United States and Israeli forces, as well as decades of violations of international law by the Islamic Republic.”
She further added: “To maintain their grip on power, authorities have launched an all-encompassing assault on the Iranian people, and anyone who dares to criticize the Islamic Republic, share information about American or Israeli air attacks or human rights violations with the outside world, or simply tries to get through the longest recorded internet shutdown to contact loved ones or access independent information, is targeted.”
Amnesty International has called on the international community to prevent the Islamic Republic’s authorities from using wartime conditions as a cover for intensifying domestic repression. The organization demands the release of arbitrarily detained individuals, an end to torture and mistreatment of prisoners, clarification of the fate of forcibly disappeared persons, lifting of internet restrictions, and an immediate halt to death sentence executions. The release of this report coincides with increasing criticism from international bodies regarding the human rights situation in Iran; criticism that has also resonated in the European Parliament in recent weeks.
