Iran faces possible ‘Nuremberg moment,’ former UN prosecutor says
Payam Akhavan, an Iranian-Canadian former UN prosecutor, said efforts at the United Nations to document alleged abuses in Iran could prepare the ground for future legal action.
“The scale of the crimes is unprecedented,” Akhavan told Reuters ahead of an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council on Iran.
“We are trying to set the stage for transitional justice in Iran, for the country’s Nuremberg moment, should that come to pass,” he said, referring to the post-World War II trials of Nazi leaders.
Akhavan said documenting alleged violations now could be critical for future accountability, even if prosecutions are not immediately possible.
Iranian security forces shot at people trying to help the wounded during protests in the northern city of Rasht, according to eyewitness accounts shared with Iran International.
The witnesses said security forces surrounded injured protesters to block assistance and fired directly at anyone who tried to help.
“In some cases they formed a circle around the wounded so no one could get close, and if anyone tried to help, they opened fire,” one witness said in a message from Rasht.
The witness described an incident on Takhti Street in which a wounded person lay bleeding in the street. When a resident tried to help, security forces hiding in an alley opposite shot both individuals, killing them, the witness said, adding that the rescuer was shot in the head.
The witness said security forces hid in alleys and fired at people passing through.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on Friday to discuss the alarming violence used by Iran against protesters, as a group of states pushed to expand a UN investigation into alleged abuses.
At least 50 countries backed the request for the special session, citing credible reports of violence against protesters, a nationwide crackdown and violations of international human rights law, according to a letter drafted by Iceland.
A proposal before the Geneva-based body seeks to extend by two years the mandate of a UN investigation set up in 2022 after an earlier wave of protests. It also calls for an urgent inquiry into violations and crimes linked to the latest unrest, which began on Dec. 28, for potential future legal proceedings.
An Iranian lawmaker said lifting restrictions on social media platforms would be a major mistake, warning it could harm the country internationally.
Abolfazl Aboutorabi, a member of parliament from Najafabad, said restoring access to restricted networks would allow government opponents to spread violent images.
“Lifting social media restrictions again is a big mistake,” Aboutorabi was quoted as saying. He added that opposition groups were ready to act once limits were removed, which he said could bring international consequences for Iran.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said democratic governments must raise the cost for Iran’s rulers to stay in power in an interview with Iranian activist Masih Alinejad.
Machado said Iran and Venezuela were bound by deep cooperation between their rulers, even as people in both countries rise up against repression.
“The Iranian people, the Venezuelan people, we are fighting the same struggle,” she said. “These regimes have been cooperating for many years, exchanging resources, information, technology, agents and weapons.”
She said authoritarian governments help each other bypass pressure and maintain control, while democracies often stop at statements.
“Dictators help each other, they exchange technology, resources, they help each other bypass sanctions and they support each other in international forums,” Machado said. “Democratic governments stay at statements and declarations that at the end do not serve the people.”
Machado said people in Iran had reached a breaking point and were calling on the world to respond.
“We reach a point where the people start asking the world to react and to support,” she said. “What we are asking for is to stop the killings and to save lives.”
She criticized what she described as double standards among democratic governments that condemn repression while maintaining economic ties.
“You sign declarations talking about freedom and equality and respect for human rights, then you do business with these regimes,” Machado said. “You buy oil from these regimes and you keep their assets and resources in your own financial systems.”
US President Trump meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in the Oval Office, in Washington, DC, US, released January 15, 2026.
Praise for Trump action
Machado praised Donald Trump for taking decisive action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and said it showed what firm leadership could achieve.
“Finally in Venezuela we’re seeing President Trump making a tremendous important decision,” she said. “Bringing a criminal to justice is precisely what the world needs.”
She said the move sent a signal beyond Venezuela.
“It has brought a lot of hope,” Machado said. “This is a milestone.”
Machado said repression continues when dictators see little cost in using force.
“When you’re dealing with criminals, the only way they will leave is when the cost of staying in power is higher than the cost of leaving,” she said.
She said opposition movements cannot succeed alone without coordinated international pressure.
“We have done everything that any civic movement can do and they are killing us,” Machado said. “What we are asking for is applying law enforcement and cutting the resources they use to fund repression.”
Machado said the fall of Iran’s ruling system would have consequences far beyond the country.
“Imagine how the world will look once the Iranian criminal regime falls,” she said. “This is a unique moment in history.”
She said cooperation among opposition groups and diasporas was essential.
“These regimes help each other, and we the people need to connect and coordinate,” Machado said. “Regardless of how far away we are, we are united in this aspiration.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said democratic governments must raise the cost for Iran’s rulers to stay in power in an interview with Iranian activist Masih Alinejad.
Machado said Iran and Venezuela were bound by deep cooperation between their rulers, even as people in both countries rise up against repression.
“The Iranian people, the Venezuelan people, we are fighting the same struggle,” she said. “These regimes have been cooperating for many years, exchanging resources, information, technology, agents and weapons.”
She said authoritarian governments help each other bypass pressure and maintain control, while democracies often stop at statements.
Machado praised Donald Trump for taking decisive action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and said it showed what firm leadership could achieve.
“Finally in Venezuela we’re seeing President Trump making a tremendous important decision,” she said. “Bringing a criminal to justice is precisely what the world needs.”
She said the move sent a signal beyond Venezuela.
“It has brought a lot of hope,” Machado said. “This is a milestone.”
