Iran executed 18 protesters in 2026, UN human rights chief says
As a ceasefire agreement emerges, the UN warns of intensifying repression and a worsening human rights crisis inside Iran.
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The United Nations said that Iran has executed approximately 40 people since the beginning of 2026, including 18 protesters, on charges related to "national security."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed "great sympathy for the Iranian people caught between the clutches of war and brutal repression."
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Turk said that since the start of the year, the Iranian authorities "have executed at least 40 people for national security-related reasons... including 18 protesters."
According to human rights organizations, Iran ranks second after China in the number of executions carried out worldwide.
Turk also voiced regret over Tehran's escalating repressive measures since the launch of its crackdown on protests that swept the country in January, as well as the American-Israeli war that broke out against it on February 28.
He welcomed the announcement of an agreement to halt the war between the United States and Iran, stressing the need for "all parties to exercise maximum restraint and work to implement the agreement quickly and in good faith."
He added that the conflict "had a devastating impact on human rights in the region and the world."