Amnesty accuses Iran of crimes against humanity over 2022 protest crackdown

Amnesty International has accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity during the crackdown on protests that began in September 2022. The organisation said the response to the demonstrations, which followed the death of Mahsa Amini, included killings, torture, rape and enforced disappearances. The report was released on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, and focuses on the state response to the movement known as "Woman, Life, Freedom".

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The report says the protests were triggered by Amini's death in custody after she was detained for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress rules for women. Amnesty said the crackdown left hundreds dead and identified 87 national and regional officials whom it says were responsible within the chain of command. It also called for those involved to face international justice and urged the UN General Assembly to create an international criminal justice mechanism.

Among the cases cited by the organisation was that of 62-year-old Minoo Majidi, who was hit by metal pellets during a demonstration in Kermanshah in western Iran in September 2022. Amnesty said at least 326 people were killed by security forces during the protests. The report presents the 2022 unrest as the largest seen in Iran for years, before a new wave of demonstrations in early 2026.

The findings add to long-running scrutiny of Iran's handling of dissent and the use of force against protesters. The 2022 demonstrations became a major challenge to the authorities and drew international attention because they were linked to women's rights, state violence and demands for political change. By framing the response as crimes against humanity, Amnesty is pressing for a legal response that goes beyond domestic accountability.

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The report also places the 2022 crackdown in the context of a broader pattern of unrest in Iran, including protests in early 2026 that Amnesty said were even more lethal and of greater scale. According to the organisation, those later demonstrations were driven by the rising cost of living and peaked on the nights of 8 and 9 January. It said six of the 87 officials named in the report died in US and Israeli attacks on Iran during the war that began on 28 February this year.

It remains unclear what, if any, response Iranian authorities will give to the report or whether any international legal process will follow. Amnesty's call for a UN-backed justice mechanism now puts pressure on governments and international institutions to consider next steps. The central allegations concern events from 2022, but the report's wider significance lies in how it links those events to continuing unrest and demands for accountability.

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