UN holds emergency session to debate the crackdown on protests in Iran

The meeting was requested by several States in response to reports of deaths, detentions and excessive use of force against protesters.

 The United Nations Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body created in 2006 by the UN General Assembly to promote and protect human rights around the world. It has 47 member States, elected by geographic region.

 This body can convene special or emergency sessions when situations arise that represent serious or massive human rights violations in one or more countries. It is a tool that allows member States and UN bodies to expose abuses, exchange information and express international concern about events that could constitute breaches of international law.

On January 23, the UN Human Rights Council was convened for an emergency session on Iran to address the human rights violations reported in the country during the protests and the violence against protesters. The session was requested by Germany, the United Kingdom and Iceland, with the support of 21 of the Council’s 47 members.

The session was called in response to reports of a significant number of deaths and detentions of people who took part in the demonstrations. According to diplomatic documents cited in the request, at least 5,000 deaths have been reported since the protests broke out in late 2025, considered the largest since 2022.

The session seeks to expose and debate the human rights violations, as well as to consider measures that could contribute to protecting people and to call for accountability for abuses committed in the context of peaceful protests in Iran.

 
The emergency meeting was justified by diplomats who said a special session was needed given the importance and urgency of the situation, in particular because of credible reports of alarming violence and violations of international human rights law throughout the country, according to the body’s official communication.

Unlike regular sessions, which are planned in advance, emergency sessions are triggered quickly in response to serious crises, such as genocide, massive state violence, systematic persecution or the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations, as is the case on this occasion with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Sara Hashash, said that States must pressure the Iranian authorities to end their persistent refusal to cooperate with human rights mechanisms and to grant unrestricted access to independent investigative teams and UN bodies.

 
At the upcoming emergency meeting, the Council will assess cases of violence against peaceful protesters, the excessive use of force, violations of the right to life and to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, the situation of arbitrary detentions, internet shutdowns and the need to guarantee accountability mechanisms and independent investigations.

 
Other historic emergency sessions

Sessions of this kind have also been used to address other major crises involving human rights, armed conflict, ethnic violence or discriminatory policies in various countries, although their frequency and results vary depending on the situation and international political dynamics.

In May 2009, the UN Human Rights Council held a special session on Sri Lanka following the offensive against the Tamil insurgency, although it was controversial because some States approved a resolution praising the government instead of condemning the violations, which was seen as a failure to effectively protect human rights.

 
In 2011, during the Arab Spring, the Council acted quickly in response to the crisis in Libya. It was one of the first times that a session of this kind generated significant international pressure, and it contributed to the General Assembly suspending Libya as a member of the Council, condemning human rights violations under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

 
The Council also held a special session on the crisis in Myanmar in February 2021, following the military coup. The focus was the disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters and the violation of basic rights, such as freedom of assembly and expression.

In May 2023, a session was convened in response to armed violence between state and paramilitary forces in Sudan. Before the meeting, organizations such as Amnesty International urged the Council to establish independent investigative mechanisms to document human rights violations and facilitate accountability.

The session once again places Iran under international scrutiny and tests the capacity of the multilateral system to respond to allegations of the repression of social protest. 

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia