Since the end of 2025, once more, nationwide protests have rocked Iran. Protesters from all regions and social backgrounds denounce the economic and political situation of the country in the broadest unrest since the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. Unsurprisingly, the protests met a violent response from the Iranian authorities. The intensity of this violence is, however, unprecedented.
After 20 days, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), one of the oldest non-political and non-governmental organisations active in documenting and defending human rights in Iran, was able to confirm the death of more than 3.000 protesters and the arrest of more than 22.000 others. Several thousand other deaths are being confirmed, while the total death toll remains unknown due to a complete internet shutdown.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - a parallel military institution created in 1979 to protect the Iranian revolution and respond directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader - is once again the steering force behind the protests. Since its establishment in 1979, the IRGC has been routinely accused of being responsible for a wide range of serious human rights violations and international crimes committed both within Iran and abroad. While Iran bears the primary responsibility to address the IRGC's violations, complete impunity prevails.
In response, HRA developed the Pasdaran Documentation Project (PDP). PDP is designed to support policymakers, prosecutors, investigators, journalists, and civil society actors working toward accountability. PDP is a long-term initiative that systematically maps the IRGC’s institutional structure, operational units, and chains of command, and links this information to documented incidents of grave human rights violations and potential international crimes. Today, the PDP database houses profiles of more than 4,800 IRGC members and 84,700 IRGC units, respectively. PDP serves not only as an accountability tool, but also as an enduring public record of an institution notorious for widespread abuse. As pursuing accountability in Iran is unrealistic, HRA and the non-profit initiative UpRights, published in April 2025, a Practitioner’s Guide to Addressing Alleged Serious Human Rights Violations and International Crimes Committed by the IRGC in Iran and Abroad, serves as a practical tool that analyses existing accountability avenues available as well as their strengths and challenges to advance justice for victims.
Against this background, the speakers will offer an analysis of the contextual and legal challenges to pursuing justice for Iranian victims and holding the IRGC accountable, and provide key recommendations regarding documentation and actionable pathways towards accountability.
Speakers
- Skylar Thompson, deputy director, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA)
- Valérie Gabard, co-director, UpRights
- Amin Ghazaei, Iranian author and human rights activist
- Moderator: Dr Gabriele Chlevickaite, senior researcher in international criminal law, Asser Institute
Agenda
19:00-19:05 Welcome, introductions
19:05-20:00 Speaker interventions and panel discussion
20:00-20:30 Q&A and closing
This event is co-organised by the IHCL Platform.