This research briefing documents how Iranian security forces used unlawful force, including live ammunition, birdshot, teargas and watercannon, to crush largely peaceful protests that erupted in the southwest of Iran in May 2022. The briefing reiterates the need for the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative and accountability mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve, and analyze evidence of the most serious crimes under international law committed in Iran, including in the context of protests, to enable future prosecutions.
