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The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday he was "horrified" by rising violence by Iran’s security forces against peaceful protesters and condemned what he described as efforts to label demonstrators as terrorists to justify the crackdown.
"The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement read out by UN rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.
"As we saw most recently in 2022, broad sections of the Iranian population have taken to the streets, demanding fundamental changes in the governance of their country," Turk said. "And once again, the authorities’ reaction is to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change."
"This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue," he said. "The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard."
Turk said all killings, violence against protesters and other rights violations must be investigated under international standards and that those responsible should be held to account.
Several foreign influencers supportive of the Islamic Republic have published content portraying life in Tehran as calm despite an escalating deadly crackdown on protests across the country amid an internet blackout.
Video they share presents scenes of shopping, leisure and normal activity, offering images that contrast sharply with stark scenes of unrest and bloodshed emerging daily.
Foreign nationals in Iran typically operate under close monitoring, and public activity by visitors—particularly during periods of unrest—requires official permission. The influencers’ movements and access leaves little doubt that their ventures are state-sponsored or at least approved.
Among the most prominent figures is Maram Susli, a Syrian-Australian influencer known online as “Syrian Girl” or “Partisan Girl,” who has more than half a million followers on X.
Over the past several days, she has posted repeatedly in support of the Islamic Republic, framing Iran as the target of Western and Israeli misinformation.
In a post dated January 11 and captioned “Come shopping with me in Iran, Tehran,” Susli shared images showing herself without a hijab inside a Tehran shopping mall and the city’s Grand Bazaar.
“They are lying to you about Iran, and Iranian women, to sell you regime change for Israel!!!” she posted.
Counter-narrative
In another image, which she later acknowledged had been edited using artificial intelligence, Susli appears wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans in front of Tehran’s Azadi Tower while burning an Israeli flag.
Many users on social media noted that the images appeared to have been taken during summer months, while Tehran is currently experiencing winter conditions. Others pointed out that Susli appears to be posting from Australia, where she resides.
Another pro-Islamic Republic figure, Suleiman Ahmed, shared a video showing a woman burning an image of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty and grandfather of the exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi.
The post appeared to respond directly to a viral image circulating inside Iran of a young woman setting fire to a portrait of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and lighting a cigarette with it.
On Monday, other pro-Tehran influencers from various countries shared footage of state-organized rallies broadcast on Iranian state television, presenting the gatherings as evidence of mass public support—as the nation entered its fourth day of blackout.
Deadly crackdown
Fragmentary messages transmitted via Starlink connections and accounts from recent travelers indicate that security forces have carried out a widespread lethal crackdown.
Eyewitnesses and medics told Iran International the preliminary death tolls since protests began on Dec. 28 had ramped up in recent days to up to 2,000 people.
In an article published Sunday on Substack, the Berlin-based political analyst Hamidreza Azizi wrote that after January 8, Iranian authorities increasingly sought to frame the domestic unrest as a continuation of Iran’s recent confrontation with Israel, shifting the narrative from internal dissent to external conflict.
Officials have largely stopped referring to demonstrators as “protesters” or even “rioters,” instead describing them as “CIA- and Mossad-backed terrorists” and characterizing the unrest as “urban warfare.”
Senior officials, including the head of the judiciary, have said detainees will be prosecuted swiftly on charges of moharabeh or "waging war against God", an offense that carries the death penalty.
The contrast between the images circulating online and the conditions reported from inside Iran underscores the degree to which information itself has become a central battleground, as the state seeks to shape perceptions at home and abroad while restricting independent verification on the ground.
Several Iranian lawmakers warned that public dissatisfaction could worsen unless the government and parliament move to address people’s grievances.
Bafq lawmaker Mohammadreza Sabaghian said officials should not ignore public discontent.
"We should not forget that people have grievances that must be addressed by the government and parliament," he said. "Otherwise, what we have seen recently will happen again with a much steeper slope."
Other lawmakers echoed similar concerns.
Hossein Samsami, a lawmaker from Tehran, said poor economic decisions had fueled public anger, pointing to currency instability and price swings.
Separately, Mohammad Amir criticized management in the oil sector, accusing senior officials of treating state companies as personal property.
"Do you know that your managers in the oil companies think these firms are their father’s inheritance?" Amir said, addressing the oil minister.
An Iranian lawmaker said on Tuesday that recent public discontent was driven by economic instability caused by what he described as poor policy decisions.
Hossein Samsami, a member of parliament from Tehran, said authorities should not adopt what he called harmful policies that worsen living conditions and create dissatisfaction.
"We should not, through poor and livelihood-destroying policies, create discontent among this nation," he said during a parliamentary session.
Samsami said the main cause of the recent discontent was instability in the currency and prices.
"The main reason for the recent dissatisfaction was currency instability and price volatility," he said, adding that these problems stemmed from what he described as misguided policies adopted over the past month.
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said thousands of military and police personnel had not shown up for work to avoid taking part in the crackdown on protesters, in a message posted on X.
"Because of your steadfastness and resistance, thousands of military and police personnel have not shown up for work so they would not have to take part in the repression," Pahlavi said.
He accused the authorities of trying to spread fear through killings, repression and internet shutdowns in an effort to make people abandon the movement.
"The regime is trying to create fear and terror among you," he said.
Pahlavi also called on internet and communications specialists to disrupt state systems to help restore access for the public.
"Target the regime's information infrastructure so that our compatriots' connection with the world can be restored again," he said.
