Amnesty International Accuses Iran of Crimes Against Humanity

Amnesty International released a report on September 16, 2026, titled "Architects of Atrocities," concluding that Amnesty International and Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity to suppress the 2022 Woman Life Freedom uprising. The investigation identifies 87 officials—10 national and 77 regional—including Revolutionary Guard chief Ahmad Vahidi, who should face international justice for murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances. The report documents 377 deaths in 2022, including 56 children, and warns that a lack of accountability emboldened "unprecedented massacres" during cost-of-living protests in January 2026.

The findings coincide with the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, whose 2022 detention by morality police sparked protests across 134 cities. While the Iran Police Information Center claimed Amini died of a cardiac seizure, United Nations experts found she died from beatings and trauma. The subsequent crackdown resulted in at least 551 deaths, according to the UN Fact-Finding Mission.

In New Zealand, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand is petitioning Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters to support a UN-led international criminal justice mechanism. Meanwhile, in Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian has declined to enforce a harsh 2023 hijab bill due to public rejection. This occurs as the state remains in a state of war following February 2026 US-Israeli air strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top leadership.