Story perspectives

Amnesty Details Iran Crackdown Killings, Urges ICC Referral

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 6:22 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Amnesty International says Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom crackdown.
Amnesty documented 377 protesters and bystanders killed, including 56 children, between September and December 2022.
At least 326 of those deaths were caused directly by security forces using firearms and metal pellets.
Amnesty identified 87 Iranian officials for investigation and urged the UN to refer Iran to the International Criminal Court.

History

Historical Context

After the 1979 overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the new Islamic Republic launched a crackdown that executed roughly 2,500 dissidents between 1979 and 1981. Decades of repression, highlighted by Amnesty International’s 2022 record of 377 protest deaths, have prompted United Nations resolutions and ICC investigations into Iran’s human-rights violations.

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Story summary

Amnesty International says Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom crackdown.
Amnesty documented 377 protesters and bystanders killed, including 56 children, between September and December 2022.
At least 326 of those deaths were caused directly by security forces using firearms and metal pellets.
Amnesty identified 87 Iranian officials for investigation and urged the UN to refer Iran to the International Criminal Court.

1 / 2