Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 18 June 2026: The sixth annual "Human Rights Defenders in Iran" report has been published. The report examines the situation of 68 human rights defenders, two justice-seeking families, one non-governmental organisation, the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement and a number of their members, presenting a picture of the pressure, arbitrary arrests, harsh and unfair sentences, and systematic repression faced by human rights defenders in Iran.
By publishing this report, IHRNGO calls on the international community, civil society, governments, and the public in Iran and around the world to stand in solidarity with Iranian human rights defenders and provide them with practical support in their difficult struggle to secure fundamental rights for all citizens. Visibility, naming and sustained monitoring of their situation are essential components of effective human rights protection.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the organisation, stated: “Human rights defenders in Iran today need the support and solidarity of the international community more than ever. The release of all political prisoners, including imprisoned human rights defenders, and an end to the criminalisation of peaceful civic activities must be treated as central conditions in any dialogue, negotiation or agreement between the international community and the Islamic Republic.”
Addressing the public and civil society, Amiry-Moghaddam added: “The human rights defenders featured in this report are among the bravest citizens of Iran; individuals who, despite being deprived of their freedom, livelihoods and family life, and while facing threats, torture, and ill-treatment, have not retreated from their demands. Their resistance is part of a collective effort to defend the fundamental rights of all. Our responsibility is to ensure that, wherever we are, these individuals are not forgotten, that their names are remembered, and that they receive sustained support.”
This report is being published at a time when Iranian society has endured one of the largest mass killings of protesters in its contemporary history, a large-scale war, more than 100 days of internet shutdowns or severe disruptions, and a fresh wave of pressure on civil society.
Among the human rights defenders documented in this report are those who, from inside prison and despite intensified pressure and threats, continue to advance the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement. The report also includes lawyers who have been sentenced to imprisonment and banned from practicing law for upholding the legal rights of their clients. Another section focuses on families seeking truth and justice—families who, solely for informing the public and attempting to uncover the truth about the fate of their loved ones who have been killed, injured or imprisoned, have faced arrest, imprisonment and severe restrictions, including being prevented from visiting the graves of family members.
One such justice-seeker is 73-year-old Rahleh Rahimpour. Her brother, Hossein Rahimpour, was executed in 1984 on charges of membership in a banned opposition group, Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran, and his daughter, Golrou, died only days after birth in Evin Prison, according to prison authorities. However, the family has never received her body and to this day has not been able to determine where she was buried. Raheleh’s persistent efforts to seek truth, clarify the circumstances surrounding these events and pursue justice have resulted in a prison sentence of several years.
Other human rights defenders featured in this report include teachers and workers prosecuted for insisting on their labour and professional rights; activists advocating for children’s right to education, combating discrimination based on gender, religion, ethnicity and mother language, or working to protect the environment; as well as artists who have been arbitrarily arrested and sentenced to imprisonment or professional bans for artistic expression in defence of human rights. The cases documented in this report demonstrate that repression of human rights defenders in Iran spans a wide range of civil, social, labour, cultural and environmental spheres.
With the publication of this report, IHRNGO calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned human rights defenders, full access to healthcare and medical services for all detainees, and an end to the repression of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and civic activity. The organisation urges the international community to prioritise human rights in all engagements and to use all available legal and diplomatic tools to ensure effective support for human rights defenders, accountability and justice, cooperation with UN human rights mechanisms, including the Special Rapporteur and the Fact-Finding Mission, independent and impartial investigations into suspicious deaths of human rights defenders, and judicial accountability for those responsible for torture, ill-treatment, and other serious human rights violations.
Originally scheduled for publication at the beginning of 2026, the report has been delayed due to the bloody suppression of the nationwide protests of December 2025–January 2026, the 40-Day War and the internet blackout.