Human rights organisations have reported harrowing new allegations of abuse against detainees in Iran, including the sexual assault of a 16-year-old, as the state's crackdown on nationwide protests continues. The reports emerge amidst a severe communication blackout, complicating efforts to verify conditions for the more than 20,000 individuals estimated to have been arrested.
Allegations of Sexual Violence and Custodial Deaths
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), two people detained in the western city of Kermanshah, one of them a child aged 16, were subjected to sexual abuse by riot police during their arrest. Rebin Rahmani of the KHRN stated that security forces used batons to touch the detainees' bodies and applied pressure to their anal areas through clothing.
In a separate and tragic case, the Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that 40-year-old Soran Feyzizadeh died as a result of torture while in custody. He was detained during protests on 7 January, and his family was informed of his death two days later. A Hengaw representative said his body was barely recognisable due to severe injuries, and his family faced extortionate costs to retrieve it.
A Pattern of Brutality and a Rising Death Toll
These incidents are not isolated. Rights groups fear a repeat of the abuses documented during the 2022 protests, where detainees reported rape, beatings, and torture. The current wave of unrest, which began in late December, has already resulted in a devastating human cost.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that 3,766 people have been killed, with a further 8,949 reported deaths under investigation. Hengaw also confirmed the death of Sholeh Sotoudeh, a pregnant woman from Langarud, who was killed alongside her unborn child when forces opened fire on protesters in north-west Iran on 10 January.
Families Silenced and a Climate of Fear
The Iranian authorities are actively suppressing information and intimidating grieving families. A close relative of Soran Feyzizadeh told the Guardian that the city of Saqqez was militarised, movement was restricted, and they were prevented from returning home to attend the funeral. "They killed Soran so brutally," the relative said.
With the internet severely restricted, verifying reports from inside Iran remains a monumental challenge. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran has documented the transfer of over 549 protesters to Yazd central prison and warns that the risk of torture is escalating. "As street protests wind down, arbitrary arrests have increased as has the risk of torture for detainees," said the centre's executive director, Roya Boroumand.
The KHRN is also investigating two further alleged deaths in custody: a woman from Kermanshah and a man from Marivan. These cases underscore the extreme dangers faced by those detained in the ongoing suppression of dissent in Iran.
