Serious new allegations of sexual violence and torture have emerged from Iran, as human rights groups detail the brutal treatment of protesters detained during the nationwide unrest. A 16-year-old is among those reported to have been sexually assaulted while in the custody of security forces.
Allegations of Sexual Violence and Torture
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), two individuals detained in the western city of Kermanshah, one of them a child, were subjected to sexual abuse by riot police during their arrest. Rebin Rahmani of the KHRN stated that sources close to the minor's family reported security forces touched their bodies with batons and applied pressure to the anal area during transfer.
These reports come amid a wider climate of fear for the more than 20,000 protesters estimated to have been arrested since the wave of demonstrations began in late December. The allegations echo patterns from the 2022 protests, where detainees reported rapes, beatings, and torture.
Deaths in Custody and a Mounting Toll
The crackdown has been lethal. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that 3,766 people have been killed since the start of the protests, with a further 8,949 reported deaths under investigation. The Norway-based group Hengaw provided specific cases, including that of Soran Feyzizadeh, a 40-year-old who died from torture in custody after being detained on 7 January.
"His body was barely recognisable due to the extent of injuries caused by repeated blows," said Awyar Shekhi of Hengaw. The group also reported the death of Sholeh Sotoudeh, a pregnant woman from Langarud, who was killed along with her unborn child when forces opened fire on protesters on 10 January.
Communication Blackout and Growing Fears
A severe internet blackout within Iran has hampered efforts to verify conditions and gather testimony, leaving families and rights groups in the dark. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights has documented the transfer of over 549 protesters to Yazd central prison and expressed extreme concern for their safety.
"As street protests wind down, arbitrary arrests have increased as has the risk of torture for detainees," warned the centre's executive director, Roya Boroumand. "Over the past decades we have documented numerous cases of death in custody alongside severe physical and psychological torture."
The KHRN is investigating two further reports of deaths in custody, involving a woman from Kermanshah and a man from Marivan. With communication severed and movement restricted, as described by a relative of Soran Feyzizadeh who was blocked from attending his funeral, the full scale of the abuse remains difficult to ascertain.
