Abdollahi’s statements, widely shared on social platforms and referenced in outlets such as the Daily Mail and Die Welt, cite eyewitness testimony from within Iran contending that detained female protesters faced threats of rape, physical mutilation and forced removal of bodies to conceal torture. A witness quoted in the reporting said injured women were loaded into vehicles amid explicit threats of sexual violence.

Separate human rights reports have also documented sexual assaults on protesters, including minors, during the violent repression that followed demonstrations beginning in late December 2025. A 16‑year‑old girl was reportedly sexually assaulted in custody, and numerous other allegations of forced stripping and abuse have circulated through human rights organisations and independent media coverage.

The protests erupted in Iran on 28 December 2025 in response to deepening economic distress, including soaring inflation and the collapse of the national currency, which fuelled widespread public frustration with the clerical regime. Demonstrations rapidly spread nationwide, with women at the forefront, challenging compulsory hijab laws and broader political repression.

Iranian state media has acknowledged the scale of unrest but disputes many opposition figures’ casualty figures. Death toll estimates vary widely: state media cited 3,117 killed, while international activists and analysts estimate numbers ranging from 5,000 to over 12,000, with many more injured or arrested.

International responses have been significant. In the past week, the European Union designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation, citing its role in violent repression. Sanctions were also imposed on senior officials involved in online monitoring and suppression tactics. Tehran denounced the move as political posturing.

Despite a sustained media blackout inside Iran and efforts to suppress dissent, defiance continues in subtle forms. Funerals for slain protesters have become acts of symbolic resistance, featuring music and dancing that defy official mourning protocols and underline enduring opposition to state authority.

Human rights advocates say credible documentation of abuses is critical as calls grow for international investigations into alleged atrocities and sexual violence used as tools of intimidation. Iran’s government has consistently denied wrongdoing and refuses independent probes.