Research briefing: People in Iran face dual atrocity risks

This 16-page research briefing documents and analyses the dual threats faced of repression by the Iranian authorities and military attacks by the US and Israel against civilians in Iran.

People in Iran have been trapped between unlawful US and Israeli attacks and deadly domestic repression. Between 28 February 2026 and 7 April 2026, the USA and Israel launched an unlawful attack against Iran, in violation of the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force, and carried out tens of thousands of air strikes on targets in Iran, causing grave civilian harm.

These attacks began while people in Iran were still reeling from the unprecedented massacres of thousands of protesters and bystanders during the January 2026 uprising. In this context, the risks of atrocity crimes against people in Iran have multiplied, both from the authorities inside the country and from external attacks by US and Israeli forces.

Amnesty International urges all states, as well as regional and international bodies, including the UN Secretary General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council’s expert mechanisms and relevant atrocity prevention mechanisms, to recognise that Iran’s human rights and impunity crisis, now compounded by armed conflict, requires a dual people-centred diplomatic approach.