By René Wadlow

On January 23, 2026, the 47 members of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council met in Geneva, Switzerland in a Special Session devoted to the violent repression of protests in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The session began with a call by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the release of detainees, a halt to the implementation of death sentences, and the adoption of serious steps in response to human rights violations. He stressed that “these protests are the latest in a long line of heartfelt calls by the Iranian people for change, met by a long line of violent repression by the Iranian authorities”.

Ms. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, highlighted the large number of protesters killed, including youth and children.  She called upon the authorities of Iran to act in compliance with international human rights standards. She voiced alarm about “the unprecedented scale of the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters by security forces”.

A number of government representatives noted the difficulties of following the current situation due to the cutting of the Internet and other forms of communication.

The Iranian Ambassador, Ali Bahreini, said that the Special Session of the Council had been “politicized” and that Iran rejected the discussion as “external interference in internal affairs”.

Iceland’s Ambassador, Einar Gunnarsson, presented the resolution of the Session saying that “the victims and survivors deserve truth, justice, and accountability”. The resolution which extends the mandate for two years of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, first established after the 2022 protests, was accepted with 25 States in favor, 7 against (China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cuba, Iraq) and 14 abstentions.

Assia Tanner, Representative for Diplomatic Relations at the Geneva Office of the Association of World Citizens (AWC), attended the session on our behalf. “Demonstrating is a human right, yet the regime has killed demonstrators and hanged innocent Iranians, resorting to the death penalty which is a serious human rights violation”, she reported. “The UN asked Iran to respect human rights, engage in dialogue, end the violence, and stop terrorizing the population. While The Netherlands called the Iranian regime a terrorist state, some Arab countries called for dialogue as they fear consequences from Tehran. Some African countries called for peaceful support instead of a formal condemnation.”

Nonetheless, the general feeling was definitely one of outrage. “In a session that lasted from 2PM to 6PM with no break whatsoever, all Council members were saying the same thing: Iran must be condemned”, Tanner added. “I felt they were holding the same discourse as all human rights organizations”.

Precisely, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) now have the difficult task of calling on the Iranian government to stop arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. The situation in Iran must be watched as closely as possible and encouragement given to good faith negotiations.

Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.