Iran Country Report 2026
By Holly Swiglo
Genocide Watch
Since the 1979 revolution, Iran’s leaders have imposed strict Shia Islamic law across the country. Despite recent shifts in leadership and the new president’s reputation as a reformist, Iran’s political system remains rooted in the principles of the Islamic Republic. In early 2026, Iran experienced the highest levels of repression since 1979, and authorities granted impunity for crimes against humanity.
The Islamic Republic has retained its bans on all independent political parties, civil society organizations, trade unions, newspapers, and speech critical of the regime. As anti-government protests swept the country starting in late 2025, security forces killed, arbitrarily arrested, and forcibly disappeared peaceful protesters, targeting ethnic minorities. Courts held unfair trials, often based on confessions extracted under torture. Iranian officials executed over 1,639 people in 2025, the most since 1989, a disproportionate number of whom were minorities. In response, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council broadened the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI) in April 2025 and renewed it for another two years in January 2026.
Iran continues to deny women equal rights in marriage, divorce, child custody, employment, and more, and women’s rights advocates are subject to arrest and flogging. Over 100 women were murdered by male relatives in 2025, yet the government withdrew a bill presented over a decade ago to address gender-based violence. Widespread pushback to compulsory veiling persuaded authorities to temporarily decrease their violent enforcement efforts. However, assaults and arrests continue, and authorities now plan to deploy a force of 80,000 to enforce veiling. Additionally, same-sex relations and gender nonconformance are punishable by flogging, imprisonment, and death, and the state endorses torturous conversion therapy, hate speech, and discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ people.
Ethnic minorities, including Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Baluchis, Kurds, and Turkmen, also face severe discrimination in employment, housing, political office, and elsewhere. Iran prohibits the teaching of ethnic minority languages and Iranian leaders portray minority rights as a threat to territorial integrity. They arrest, torture, and execute those who disagree. Additionally, officials refused to issue birth certificates and identification documents to tens of thousands of Baluchi people, preventing them from accessing education, healthcare, and banking services. Authorities also committed numerous acts of unlawful armed violence against Baluchi and Kurdish populations.
Iranian authorities promote dehumanizing rhetoric against Afghans as well, blaming them for societal ills. Afghans face hate crimes and widespread discrimination, as the Islamic Republic forced 1.8 million to return to Afghanistan, resulting in deaths and persecution at the hands of the Taliban. Authorities used violent raids to expel Afghans and arbitrarily arrested 2,774 people. Furthermore, Iran’s government systematically discriminates against, detains, persecutes, and tortures religious minorities, including Baha’is, Christians, Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sunni Muslims, and Yaresan. Abuses against Baha’is are particularly severe, including home raids, education bans, and burial site destruction.
Iranian officials used both the 12-day war and the 2026 war with the United States and Israel to justify further hate and repression, falsely depicting Baha’is, Christians, Jews, and Afghans as Israeli spies. Authorities suspended internet access, increased executions, and arrested 21,000 civilians. Dozens of detainees were forcibly disappeared, and hundreds were subject to ill-treatment or torture in prison. Three women died after being denied medical care.
Genocide Watch considers Iran to be at Stage 3: Discrimination due to the attacks on women’s rights. Because Iranian authorities portray ethnic and religious minorities as threats, Iran is also considered to be at Stage 6: Polarization. The armed attacks on Baluchi and Kurdish populations, killings and other forms of violence targeting 2SLGBTQI+ people, detainment and torture of religious minorities, and violent displacement of Afghans place Iran at Stage 8: Persecution.
Genocide Watch recommends:
- UN member states should coordinate national-level criminal investigations under universal jurisdiction to hold accountable the 87 Iranian officials allegedly responsible for crimes against humanity.
- UN member states should create an international criminal justice mechanism through the UN General Assembly to prosecute those responsible for Iran’s crimes against humanity.
- The UN Security Council should refer the human rights abuses in Iran to the International Criminal Court.
- UN Human Rights Council members should ensure the FFMI is adequately resourced.
- UN member states should grant asylum to Iranian victims and provide humanitarian aid to all areas in need.
