After Crushing Unrest, Iran Security Forces Rounds Up Thousands To Deter Fresh Protests

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 23:29 IST

Activists said security forces were detaining not only people accused of involvement in the latest unrest but also those arrested during protests in previous years.

Activists said plainclothes security forces launched a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints. (File pic/AFP)

Iranian security forces in plainclothes have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter future protests.

Iran has witnessed widespread protests since late December last year, triggered by economic hardship and rising living costs. The protests were met with live ammunition, mass arrests and an internet blackout that has made independent verification difficult.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed more than 6,300 deaths, mostly protesters, while the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group believes the final toll could exceed 25,000. Iranian authorities acknowledge over 3,100 deaths, but claim most were security personnel or bystanders.

Also Read: EU Blacklists Iran’s IRGC As Terror Group Amid Deadly Protest Crackdown, Tehran Slams Move

Reuters quoted activists saying that plainclothes security forces launched a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints. They said detainees were placed in secret lockups.

“They are arresting everyone," one of the activists said. “No one knows where they are being taken or where they are being held. With these arrests and threats, they are trying to inject fear into society."

Reuters also quoted lawyers, medics, witnesses and two Iranian officials speaking on condition of anonymity, saying that the roundups appeared aimed at preventing any serious revival of protests by spreading fear just as the clerical establishment faces rising external pressure.

Also Read: EU Slaps New Sanctions On Iran After Tehran’s Crackdown On Protests

One of the activists said security forces were detaining not only people accused of involvement in the latest unrest but also those arrested during protests in previous years, “even if they had not participated this time, plus members of their families".

The Iranian authorities said on January 21 that 3,117 were killed in the unrest, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel.

Meanwhile, the European Union has formally added Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of terrorist organisations, citing Tehran’s violent suppression of nationwide protests.

Announcing the decision in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had taken a “decisive step" because “repression cannot go unanswered". She said the move places the IRGC on the same footing as jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

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