Since protests began across Iran on 28 December 2025, the country has lived through a deadly crackdown, a war that began on 28 February 2026, a near-total internet blackout that lasted 88 days before partial access was restored on 26 May, and an accelerating use of the death penalty. UN experts, human rights organisations and press-freedom monitors say the pressure on protesters, journalists, women and minorities is intensifying. (Dates for the protests and the war: IHRNGO and CPJ, linked below.)

What we are tracking

Executions

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) said on 6 July 2026 that it had verified at least 370 executions in the first six months of 2026, including nine women, and that only 14% were officially announced. It said it had received more than 400 further reports it could not verify and excluded.

Human Rights Watch said on 10 September 2026 that between 18 March and the end of August the authorities announced the executions of 29 people linked to recent protests. HRW said several were 18 or 19 years old and that five were executed publicly.

Amnesty International said in July 2026 that at least 26 people had been executed in connection with the January protests after trials it described as “torture-tainted”, and that it feared for at least 60 others at risk.

Why numbers differ: monitoring groups count only what they can verify, so treat every figure as a minimum. Another memorial database, bciran.org, listed 1,042 documented executions for 2026 in a snapshot of 29 September 2026. That figure is far higher than IHRNGO’s verified count, comes from a small independent project, and we have not independently confirmed it.

Sources: IHRNGO, 6 Jul 2026 · HRW, 10 Sep 2026 · Amnesty International, Jul 2026 · bciran.org snapshot, 29 Sep 2026

The January 2026 crackdown

A September 2026 report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, as summarised by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on 24 September 2026, describes widespread killings, serious injuries, mass arrests, torture, interference with medical care, communications suppression and an intensified use of the death penalty in the response to the protests. The Mission said more than 70 people, including women and juveniles, remained at imminent risk of a death sentence or execution. CHRI is an advocacy organisation; we will link the UN report itself once located.

Sources: CHRI summary of UN Fact-Finding Mission report, 24 Sep 2026 · HRANA daily reports

The blackout

Iran restored partial internet access on 26 May 2026 after an 88-day near-total blackout, according to Reuters and The Guardian. Amnesty International links the period after the shutdown to an escalation in protest-related death sentences.

Sources: Reuters, 27 May 2026 · The Guardian, 26 May 2026 · Amnesty International, Jul 2026

Women and girls

As reported by Iran International (an exile-owned outlet; we are seeking a second source), the head of the judiciary told prosecutors on about 28 September 2026 to act “decisively” against women appearing without a hijab. The UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato said on 14 September, as reported by the same outlet, that cafes and shops were still being closed over hijab violations and that the 2024 Hijab and Chastity Law remained suspended.

Amnesty International published a report on 16 September 2026 naming officials it says are responsible for crimes against humanity during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom crackdown.

HRANA reported in late September 2026 that at least eight imprisoned women face death sentences on political or security-related charges.

Sources: Iran International, 28 Sep 2026 · Iran International, 14 Sep 2026 · Amnesty International, 16 Sep 2026 · HRANA

Journalists and the press

CPJ said on 28 September 2026 that journalist and analyst Abbas Abdi was sentenced on 27 September to one year in prison, that the daily Etemad was suspended for two months, that photojournalist Majid Saeedi, arrested on 9 September, had not been located, and that Amanj Mohammadpour was arrested on 20 September.

In August 2026 CPJ said nine journalists were known to be imprisoned, including Reza Valizadeh, serving 10 years, and that Yalda Moaiery had been sentenced to 15 years. It also reported an Intelligence Ministry list of “hostile media” including BBC Persian and Voice of America. CPJ counted at least 15 journalists behind bars on 3 March 2026; the counts differ by date and method, so we cite dates.

CPJ’s January 2026 report notes that Baháʼí photojournalist Navid Zarrehbin Irani was detained on 16 January 2026.

Sources: CPJ, 28 Sep 2026 · CPJ, Aug 2026 · CPJ, 3 Mar 2026 · CPJ, Jan 2026

Minorities

UN experts said on 6 August 2026 that at least 24 Baluch and 22 Kurdish people had been executed in 2026, and warned of enforced disappearances, torture and transnational repression. IHRNGO’s first-half count (6 July 2026) included 33 Baluchis and 25 Kurds.

Sources: OHCHR, 6 Aug 2026 · IHRNGO, 6 Jul 2026 · HANA report on religious minorities

Children and teenagers

HRANA’s English-language reports in September 2026 describe repeated arrests of 16- and 17-year-olds in Kurdistan, Khuzestan and West Azerbaijan, and sentences handed to teenagers over the January protests. These are individual cases reported by an activist-run monitor; we do not name anyone without a safety review.

Sources: HRANA

Government response

We have not retrieved primary statements from the Iranian government on these items. If Iranian authorities have responded publicly, we will add the response with its source.

What you can do

• Read the primary reports linked above.
• Share verified reporting with its source and date.
• Follow independent monitors: IHRNGO, HRANA and CPJ.

More from Iran: Iran news and briefings.