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IRAN - IHR Report - At Least 734 Protesters Killed
January 13, 2026: January 13, 2026 - IRAN. IHR Report - At Least 734 Protesters Killed in Iran; IHR Warns of Extrajudicial Executions
On 13 January 2026, 17 days into the current anti-government nationwide protests in Iran, at least 734 protesters, including twelve minors and six women, have been killed by state forces, and thousands injured.
IHR is continuing to receive reports of thousands being killed in different cities and provinces across Iran. According to one report, at least 80 protesters were killed by live ammunition in several Mazandaran province cities on 8 January. At the same time, unverified reports indicate that at least several thousand people, and according to Iran International television more than 12,000, have been killed. Due to the complete internet shutdown since Thursday night and the severe restrictions on access to information, independent verification of these figures is currently extremely difficult. Due to the internet blackout since 8 January and severe restrictions on access to information, it is extremely difficult to independently verify these reports.
There are also unverified accounts of extrajudicial executions of some injured protesters. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister said on 12 January that some injured people were “finished off” with a final shot, but attributed this to “enemy-linked terrorist elements.” Reports received by IHR further indicate that many of those killed, some of whom were initially wounded by pellet guns, ultimately died after being shot in the head or neck.
On 10 January, the Prosecutor General declared all protesters to be mohareb (enemies of God), a charge that carries the death penalty, effectively issuing blanket death sentences. Officials have also vowed to deal with the cases “severely” and swiftly” in special branches of the Revolutionary Courts.
Once again invoking the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), Iran Human Rights calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to take urgent action to protect Iranian citizens from killings by the Islamic Republic.
IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “After the mass killing of protesters in the streets, thousands of protesters are being held in detention centres and prisons of the Islamic Republic under inhuman conditions, and are at risk of torture and execution. The danger of executions following summary trials is serious, Islamic Republic authorities have a history of committing similar crimes in the 1980s.”
Regarding estimates of those killed and the Iranian Foreign Minister’s claims, he added: “The figures we publish are based on information received from fewer than half of the country’s provinces and fewer than 10% of Iran’s hospitals. The real number of those killed is likely in the thousands. Since the government cannot conceal such a high number of deaths, it is forced to attribute this mass killing to foreign agents. The Foreign Minister’s statements have no credibility and repeat the government’s past lies and distortions.”
Despite the bloody crackdown and internet blackout, protests are reportedly continuing in some regions.
The new round of protests, which began on 28 December 2025 in Tehran’s bazaar over poor economic conditions, quickly spread to other parts of Iran, accompanied by anti-government slogans. Until the internet blackout, protests had spread to all 31 provinces and around 120 cities.
According to data gathered by IHR, at least 734 protesters in 15 provinces have been killed since the start of the protests. It should be noted that the number only includes cases verified directly by IHR or through two independent sources. The figures also include reports and documentation from hospitals and locations where the bodies of the slain are being held. Twelve of those killed are reported to have been under 18 years old. IHR is working to confirm their exact ages through document identification.
The highest number of fatalities were recorded from 8 January onwards, with reports indicating that many of those killed were under 30 years old. IHR has also received reports that 12 of the victims were under 18, which have not been independently verified through documentation.
According to two independent sources, at least 1,600 deaths linked to the protests have been registered at the Isfahan Legal Medicine Organisation. An informed source told IHR that on 8 January alone, at least 80 protesters were killed in several Mazandaran province cities. Fifty bodies were seen in hospitals across the city of Sari, while 15 bodies were reported in each of the cities of Ghaemshahr and Zirab, per the source.
The source explained: “These were only the people brought to hospitals by the public. Some bodies were collected from the streets and never taken to hospitals. Some victims had been struck by both pellet weapons and live ammunition. The cities are under near-martial law, and many shopkeepers have been ordered to close their shops.”
Iran Human Rights has also received reports of similar near-martial-law conditions, from sunset until the following morning, in other cities. A source in Hamedan said: “From around 6pm onwards, martial law has been imposed in the city.”
The editorial board of Iran International television announced that, based on sources within the Supreme National Security Council, the President’s Office, the IRGC, and eyewitnesses in Iran, it has verified the deaths of 12,000 people, stating that the killings were carried out by direct order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with the approval of the heads of all three branches of government. IHR is working to verify additional reports of protester fatalities in cities across Iran.
There are also unverified accounts of the extrajudicial execution of some wounded detainees. Meanwhile, at a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran on 12 January, Iran’s Foreign Minister confirmed that some wounded people had been “finished off” with a final shot, but attributed this to “enemy-linked terrorist elements,” stating: “Even the wounded were killed by them. In one case, people wanted to take eleven wounded individuals to hospital. A group came and said, ‘Give them to us, we will take them ourselves’, and later all eleven were found elsewhere, having been shot dead.”
Reports received by Iran Human Rights indicate that state forces have used live ammunition against protesters, and that many of those killed, some of whom had initially been wounded by pellet guns, ultimately died after being shot with live ammunition to the head or neck.
There is no precise assessment of the number of those injured in the protests, but it is believed to be in the thousands. On 12 January 2026, citing the National Blood Transfusion Organisation, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) called on citizens to volunteer for blood donation.
State media have also reported that at least 121 members of the Islamic Republic’s military, police, security and judicial forces have been killed during the ongoing protests. According to these reports, the published figures do not include those killed in Tehran.
Mass and collective arrests of protesters have been reported across Iran, with the estimates indicating that the number of detainees has exceeded 10,000.
At the same time, Islamic Republic officials continue to threaten protesters with severe and immediate reprisals. Following remarks by the head of the judiciary, the Prosecutor General declared all protesters to be mohareb (enemies of God), a charge that carries the death penalty, effectively issuing blanket death sentences. Officials have also vowed to deal with the cases “severely” and swiftly” in special branches of the Revolutionary Courts.
State media began airing the forced confessions of protesters within days of the outbreak of protests. Confessions that were obtained under coercion and torture being aired prior to legal proceedings violate the right of defendants to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Other due process and fair trial rights are also systematically violated by Islamic Republic authorities. Defendants in these cases are denied access to lawyers or effective counsel, tried in unfair proceedings that often last just minutes, with torture-tainted confessions used as evidence to issue death sentences.
From 22:00 on 8 January, the internet was shut down across Iran. According to NetBlocks, 99% of Iran’s internet has been under blackout since. The last time Iran experienced a comparable nationwide internet blackout was in November 2019, when hundreds of protesters were killed over the course of several days, and according to some reports up to 1,500 people were killed by state forces. During the current shutdown, only a limited number of citizens have been able to access the internet via Starlink. Reports have also emerged of jamming affecting Starlink receivers.
Despite the nationwide internet blackout, the limited videos and reports received indicate that on the evening of 12 January, protest continued in at least several locations, including Tehran, Karaj, Urmia, Isfahan and Hamedan.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8528/ (Source: IHR)
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