08/31/2026
This morning, the Chief of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic once again threatened citizens with judicial crackdowns, asserting that should protests and what he described as “unrest” take place, “the judiciary’s response will be more decisive than in all previous periods.”
Preemptively threatening citizens with a response “more decisive than in the past”—especially given the Islamic Republic’s track record of violently quashing demonstrations—must serve as a grave warning to the international community. Coming just months after the bloody suppression of the January protests, which resulted in the killing of protesters and mass detentions of citizens, such statements exacerbate concerns over the recurrent, widespread violations of protesters’ rights to life, liberty, and personal security.
The rights to peaceful assembly and protest are fundamental freedoms enshrined in international human rights standards. Citizens’ economic grievances and livelihood demands must not be securitized, and peaceful demonstration can never serve as a pretext for repression, arbitrary arrest, or the unlawful use of lethal force.
Authorities of the Islamic Republic are obligated to respect the right of citizens to voice dissent and stage peaceful assemblies, and must refrain from all forms of intimidation, arbitrary detention, and the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against protesters.
تهدید پیشاپیش شهروندان به برخوردی «قاطعتر از گذشته»، بهویژه با توجه به سابقه جمهوری اسلامی در مواجهه خشونتآمیز با اعتراضات، باید هشداری جدی برای جامعه جهانی تلقی شود. تنها چند ماه پس از سرکوب خونین اعتراضات دیماه، که با کشتهشدن معترضان و بازداشت گسترده شهروندان همراه بود، چنین اظهاراتی نگرانیها درباره تکرار نقض گسترده حق حیات، آزادی و امنیت معترضان را تشدید میکند.
حق تجمع و اعتراض مسالمتآمیز از حقوق بنیا
