Iran’s violent crackdown on protestors

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 22 January 2026 condemning the brutal crackdown on Iranian protesters that began on 28 December 2025. The protests started when bazaar merchants shut their shops to protest Iran’s weak economy, high food prices, inflation and corruption. They quickly grew into nationwide demonstrations, with tens of thousands of people in cities and provinces by 8 January and hundreds of thousands in the following days. Protesters demanded political change and an end to the current regime.

Iran’s security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the police, used lethal force, chemical weapons, mass arrests and the death penalty to suppress the protests. Thousands of peaceful demonstrators were killed, detained or executed. The regime also imposed a nationwide internet blackout, cutting off mobile and landline networks to prevent communication and to hide the true scale of the violence. The Iranian judiciary carried out summary trials, imposed death sentences on many, and targeted activists, journalists, human‑rights defenders and ethnic and religious minorities.

The resolution states that these actions violate international human‑rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. It calls for an immediate end to all violence, the release of all imprisoned protesters and political prisoners, and the abolition of the death penalty. It demands that the Iranian authorities allow the UN Fact‑Finding Mission to investigate the abuses and that the EU expand its sanctions regime. The EU already sanctions 230 individuals and 40 entities, including the IRGC, and the resolution urges the EU to designate the IRGC, Basij militia and Quds Force as terrorist organisations, to impose asset freezes and visa bans, and to strengthen enforcement against sanctions evasion.

The resolution also highlights the role of women and minorities in the protests and condemns the regime’s oppression of women, including compulsory hijab laws and restrictions on reproductive rights. It notes that Iran has the highest death‑sentence rate per capita in the world and that 1 500 people were executed in 2025 alone.

The EU has banned all Iranian diplomatic staff and representatives from Parliament premises in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. The resolution urges the EU to support civil society, provide digital tools to bypass censorship, and offer humanitarian assistance to those at risk. It calls for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Iran, for the EU to coordinate with like‑minded partners, and for the EU to maintain a strong diplomatic presence to protect Iranian dissidents.

In short, the resolution condemns Iran’s violent repression, demands an end to human‑rights abuses, calls for expanded sanctions and international accountability, and urges the EU to support the Iranian people’s right to peaceful protest and democratic change.