On Friday, January 22, 2026, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) convened an emergency session and adopted a resolution responding to the violent crackdown on the nationwide protests in Iran during January 2026. According to the resolution, the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has been extended, and urgent investigations into human rights violations will be launched.
The resolution was adopted with 25 votes in favor, 7 against, and 14 abstentions, with Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, and China voting against it.
At the opening of the session, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized that thousands of people, including children, had lost their lives during the recent crackdown and called on Iranian authorities to end the brutal repression of citizens.
According to the resolution, the mandate of the UN fact-finding mission has been extended for two years, and the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran has been extended for one year. The Council also stressed the importance of holding perpetrators accountable and ending systemic impunity in Iran.
The resolution explicitly reaffirms the inalienable rights of citizens, including the right to life, personal security, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of thought and religion, while emphasizing the right to express demands through peaceful protests.
The Council also expressed concern over the alarming increase in executions in Iran during 2025, warning that the death penalty has been applied in cases where the alleged crimes do not fall under the “most serious crimes” as defined by international law. The resolution describes the risk of using the death penalty against recently arrested protesters as “extremely serious” and calls on the Iranian government to adhere to its international human rights obligations.
