Geneva [Switzerland], January 13 : United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Tuesday expressed alarm over the rising violence against protesters across Iran, saying he was "horrified" by the situation.
In a post on X, Turk said, "The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as 'terrorists' to justify violence against them is unacceptable."
He also criticised Iranian authorities for using excessive force against demonstrators, condemning what he described as a decision "to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change."
Turk's remarks come as Iranian voices abroad have also raised fresh allegations of atrocities linked to the ongoing unrest.
Prominent Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad alleged that the Iranian regime is committing large-scale atrocities amid the ongoing protests in Iran, urging urgent international action.
In a post on X, Alinejad wrote, "Killing more than 12,000 people in just a few days of protests, after cutting off the internet to hide the crime, is a war crime."
She further alleged that "terrorists ruling Iran are waging war against unarmed civilians" and said, "We Iranians are heartbroken and outraged, not because we are weak, but because we are desperate to move the free world to act."
Targeting Iran's leadership, Alinejad claimed, "The Islamic Republic is ISIS in power.." She added, "The same ISIS that used chemical attacks against schoolgirls. The same ISIS now slaughtering women, men, children, the elderly, entire families in the streets of Iran."
Calling for decisive action, she wrote, "Destroy ISIS because if you don't, they will continue butchering people and mass arrests will turn into mass executions."
The allegations were made amid reports of heavy casualties linked to the unrest. The Times of Israel, citing Reuters, reported that around 2,000 people have been killed in protests against Iran's regime, quoting an Iranian official who blamed "terrorists" for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
The report said this is the highest official death toll confirmed so far in the unrest that has rocked the Islamic Republic and threatened the country's stability.
As demonstrations continue, Iranian authorities have also imposed major restrictions on communication in the country. Iran's top cyberspace authority on Monday announced that access to the global internet will remain restricted in the country until officials are satisfied that full security has been restored, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported.
According to Press TV, citing the President of Iran's National Center for Cyberspace, Mohammad Amin Aqamiri, the internet blackout, imposed on January 9 amid widespread unrest in several provinces, will continue for the time being, with the timeline for lifting restrictions to be announced after security assessments are completed.
"The time to return to normal conditions will be announced in the future, and authorities must certainly brief us on security considerations," Aqamiri said, as quoted by the IRNA news agency.
Aqamiri described the shutdown as necessary to counter "cognitive warfare" carried out by Iran's adversaries in cyberspace, and said the domestic intranet system, the National Information Network (NIN), has been strengthened to maintain essential online services despite limited access to the global internet.
"The NIN is a platform through which we can guarantee stable services for the public," Aqamiri said, adding that domestic messaging apps, search engines, and artificial intelligence services will be expanded to minimise disruptions to daily life, Press TV reported.
He also confirmed that citizens currently have access to online banking and shopping services through the NIN.
The continuing blackout has been monitored by internet governance organisations, which have highlighted the prolonged disruption.
According to NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and Internet governance, 108 hours have passed since Iran imposed a nationwide internet blackout.
"Update: It has been 108 hours since #Iran introduced a nationwide internet shutdown, leaving Iranians isolated from the rest of the world and each other," the organisation said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Iran's Telecom Minister Sattar Hashemi said that all government departments would comply with the decision of top security officials to maintain the internet restrictions while continuing efforts to eventually restore full access, Press TV reported.
The developments come as the nationwide protest movement continues to expand. The current protest, in its 16th day, has spread nationwide, with 606 gatherings across 187 cities, according to HRANA.
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