According to a report published today by the Swiss non-governmental organization UN Watch, the majority of UN human rights experts—known officially as Special Procedures—have been mostly silent on the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown against civilian protests since December 28, 2025. This includes experts who routinely speak out on Israel and are quick to condemn the United States.
Background to the protests
On December 28, 2025, large-scale protests erupted across Iran, reflecting longstanding demands of the Iranian people for fundamental rights, dignity, and accountability. The immediate trigger for the protests was currency inflation, which caused a sharp spike in prices of basic goods, particularly food items. Other contributing factors are poverty and ethnic inequality.
While women’s rights were not the primary catalyst for these protests, freedom and equality for Iranian women—including opposition to compulsory hijab—remain critical issues. Women protesters demonstrated defiance of the regime’s strict social rules by burning portraits of the ayatollah and smoking cigarettes. Two weeks earlier, on December 12, regime forces had violently arrested Iranian Nobel laureate and women’s human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and placed her, along with other activists, in solitary confinement.
The regime’s response has been marked by extreme and unlawful violence, including mass arrests, unfair trials, forced confessions, and executions. As part of the crackdown, the regime cut internet and phone service on the night of January 8, 2026. As of January 13, 2026, credible reports estimated that at least 12,000 protesters had been killed since the demonstrations began, with many more injured, arbitrarily detained, or forcibly disappeared. Bodies have been piling up in makeshift morgues.
Below is an analysis of the response of the UN’s human rights experts to the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown on Iranian protesters.
Analysis
Out of 87 Special Procedures, only five issued or endorsed an official statement condemning the regime’s crackdown. Published on January 13, 2026—two and half weeks into the violence—the statement was signed by Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Irene Khan, and Special rapporteur on freedom of assembly Gina Romero. It was also endorsed by the Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennet. Other than this one official statement, there have been only a handful of social media posts on X—an extremely weak response given the scale, intensity, and barbarity of the government response.
By contrast, UN experts have repeatedly mobilized with remarkable speed to condemn the United States and Israel. On January 7, 2026—just four days after U.S. forces arrested Nicolas Maduro—19 UN experts signed an official statement “strongly condemning” the move. Similarly, on June 5, 2020, less than two weeks after the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, 27 UN experts co-signed a statement calling on the U.S. government to “address systemic racism in the criminal justice system.”
The same pattern is evident with respect to Israel. On September 19, 2024, within two days of Israel’s targeted pager attack on Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, 22 UN experts jointly condemned Israel for what they described as “terrifying” violations of international law. Similarly, on May 29, 2024, just two days after an Israeli strike targeting Hamas sparked a fire in nearby civilian tents, 52 UN experts demanded “decisive international action to end the bloodshed in Gaza.”
Five UN Experts That Signed or Endorsed January 13, 2026 Statement on Iran
Mai Sato, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
- January 2, 2026: Six days into the protests, Sato commented for the first time on her X account, calling on the authorities to “respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and refrain from using excessive force against peaceful protesters.”
- January 13, 2026: Signed joint UN Statement titled Experts urge Iran to break cycle of violence, create space for dialogue.
- January 13, 2026: Shared her UN statement on X.
- January 14, 2026: Shared and endorsed tweet by Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly Gina Romero—“I echo the strong objection of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association concerning the scheduled use of the death penalty to crack down on demonstrations.”
Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- January 13, 2026: Signed joint UN Statement titled Experts urge Iran to break cycle of violence, create space for dialogue.
- No social media posts.
Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- January 13, 2026: Signed joint UN Statement titled Experts urge Iran to break cycle of violence, create space for dialogue.
- No social media posts.
Gina Romero, Special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
- January 2, 2026: Tweeted calling to “respect of lifes and integrity of protestors and the right to assemble.”
- January 12, 2026: Tweeted praise and sympathy for the protesters.
- January 13, 2026: Signed joint UN Statement titled Experts urge Iran to break cycle of violence, create space for dialogue.
- January 14, 2026: Tweeted urging Iranian authorities to stop threatening the death penalty against Erfan Soltani
Richard Bennet, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
- January 13, 2026: Endorsed joint UN Statement titled Experts urge Iran to break cycle of violence, create space for dialogue.
- No social media posts.
Other UN Experts That Should Have Spoken Out
Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Silent
Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
- Silent other than her retweet of the January 13, 2026 tweet by Mai Sato sharing her UN statement
K.P. Ashwini, Special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
- Silent
Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
- Silent
Olivier de Schutter, Special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Silent
Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Silent
Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to health
- Silent
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing
- Silent
Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Silent
