This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the 61st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council during an urgent debate on "Protection of Children and Educational Institutions in International Armed Conflicts: The Aerial Attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girl's School in MINAB, Iran, as Grave Breach of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights" held on March 27, 2026.
As noted at the urgent debate held by this Council earlier this week, Human Rights Watch has documented potential war crimes by the US, Israel and Iran in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East all of which require attention by this Council. We are also documenting escalating atrocities by the Iranian authorities against its own people, and by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, under cover of the conflict.
Human Rights Watch is alarmed by attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure across the conflict, including schools and hospitals, and other harms to children including as a result of mass displacement.
The devastating and unlawful attack on a primary school in Minab, that reportedly killed scores of civilians, including many children, should be investigated as a war crime by the US. All parties have an obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm, which it appears the US did not do in this case. This council should urge all warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, and ensure robust independent investigations into all violations.
As the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has warned earlier this session, with the onset of the conflict, civilians in Iran face a specific dual risk, as they are "caught between ongoing armed hostilities and repression that has reached unprecedented levels, which may amount to crimes against humanity."
In addition to potential war crimes in the wider conflict, Iranian authorities continue to commit grave crimes against their own people, including children.
The Special Rapporteur has reported testimonies of how "protesters, including children, have been shot at close range or severely beaten by security forces" amid the crackdown since January. Security forces subsequently "reportedly raided hospitals, arrested wounded protesters and assaulted medical staff".
The FFM has warned that this domestic repression, including violations that may amount to crimes against humanity, is likely to worsen amid the conflict. Indeed, those responsible for countrywide massacres in January have made credible threats to repeat them. The Commander of the Police has threatened that security forces are ready to shoot and that people taking to the streets will be "treated the same as the enemy", while the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned of "a harsher blow" than in January.
The unlawful and cruel restrictions on communications and internet shutdown imposed by Iran's authorities also continue, putting all civilians at further risk amid the conflict.
The work of the FFM and SR on Iran will be key in guiding international action to prevent further atrocities and protect people in Iran - both from the Iranian authorities and US and Israeli strikes across the country.
Mr. President,
We are concerned by the fragmented and selective approach of this Council to the conflict in the Middle East, which risks ignoring the plight of some victims. Every child in Iran, in Lebanon, and beyond, has the right to live free from fear, their rights and lives protected.
There can be no room for double standards on international law. We again urge states to ensure a comprehensive and impartial approach to all violations by all parties to the conflict, recognizing the rights of all victims, without discrimination.
