December Tragedy Compared to War; Islamic Republic’s Crime Against Iranian People

The December tragedy, compared to war, reveals the Islamic Republic’s crime against the Iranian people and the ruthless massacre of citizens.

Coinciding with the twentieth day of the war between Israel, the United States, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the human rights organization Hengaw released its latest report, warning of increased casualties and emphasizing human tragedies and violations of citizens’ rights.

Based on statistics compiled by Hengaw’s Documentation Center, by the end of the fourteenth day of the war, at least 5,300 people have lost their lives, of which 9.6% comprised 511 civilians and 4,789 military personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

However, a shocking comparison shows that during the December protests, approximately 32,000 Iranians were killed by the Islamic Republic government; a figure that over approximately 20 days of war—that is, compared to the civilian casualties in this military conflict between Iran, America, and Israel—demonstrates an unprecedented and manifest tragedy by the Islamic Republic government against its own citizens.

Hengaw has announced that from Saturday, March 29, 2026, to Tuesday, April 15, 2026, military and governmental centers of the Islamic Republic were targeted by air and missile strikes in at least 178 cities across 25 provinces of Iran. Targets included Revolutionary Guard bases, Basij centers, military airports, missile sites, police stations, judicial institutions, news agency headquarters, intelligence directorate offices, army barracks, and special forces commands.

According to Hengaw’s information, 4,789 military personnel of the government forces have been killed so far, with the highest casualties among the Air Force, Revolutionary Guard, and Army. The provinces of Tehran, Kermanshah, Hormozgan, Alborz, Kurdistan, and Sistan and Baluchestan recorded the highest casualty figures. Hengaw emphasizes that the security institutions of the Islamic Republic, through “systematic cover-up” practices, have refrained from publishing actual casualty figures and in few cases present much lower statistics.

Hengaw also confirms that in the first 18 days of the war, at least 511 civilians have lost their lives, of whom 120 are children and 160 are women. The highest civilian casualties were recorded in Hormozgan province, particularly among schoolgirls at “Shajare Tayyeba” elementary school. Other provinces including Tehran, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Fars, Razavi Khorasan, Qazvin, Alborz, Ilam, Central, Lorestan, and Azerbaijan also witnessed the deaths of dozens of women and children.

These statistics, compared to 20 days of war in which 5,300 people were killed, show that the massacre of Iranians during the December protests has even exceeded the casualties of an extensive military war. Such a reality has indeed resulted in a clear human tragedy and a manifest crime against unarmed citizens.

Beyond these reports, the military forces of the Islamic Republic, abandoning their official bases, have stationed themselves in public and civilian areas such as schools, dormitories, and mosques. This action, according to the Geneva Conventions, constitutes the use of “human shields” and has exposed civilians to severe danger.

The human rights organization Hengaw, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention, emphasizes that the conflicting parties are obligated to maintain absolute distinction between military and civilian objectives. This organization calls on international bodies, particularly the UN Security Council and human rights institutions, to immediately activate protective mechanisms to safeguard civilian lives by pressuring the warring parties and exercising special oversight of the Islamic Republic’s cover-up policies.

As the world observes developments, this data once again demonstrates that the Islamic Republic, whether in internal protests or confronting war, is willing to sacrifice the lives of its citizens for policies of repression and maintaining power; an act that is not only a manifest violation of human rights but a clear crime against the Iranian people.