GENEVA - The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran and the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran urged all parties in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran to immediately respect international law and protect civilians, who have borne the brunt of casualties so far.
The conflict - which began with waves of Israeli air attacks on 13 June and escalated over the weekend with U.S. forces striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan - has traumatized the Iranian people. Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, have been killed in the Israeli airstrikes and millions have fled major cities for fear of further attacks.
With civilians enduring sleepless nights as air raid sirens sound and children unable to attend school, entire communities are facing psychological strain with many forced to abandon their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.
Israel's Government says it is targeting military objectives. However, some attacks - including the targeting of the headquarters of Iran's state broadcasting agency (IRIB), which reportedly killed three people, and the targeted killing of scientists - appear to have been carried out in violation of the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law, the Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur said.
As of 21 June, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medicine Education reported that at least 400 people have been killed, including at least 54 women and children, with over 3,056 injured and hospitals and residential areas among the locations hit. Human rights organizations have reported higher tolls, with at least 865 killed and 3,396 injured.
In Israel, authorities say at least 24 people have been killed during the same period by Iranian counterstrikes, which have also injured at least 1,217 people.
Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah. Other reported strikes have resulted in a high number of civilian casualties and substantial destruction of civilian infrastructure. This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel which may affect the population's ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law.
Airstrikes and evacuation orders by Israel have caused large-scale internal displacement, forcing millions of residents of Tehran to flee. In densely populated urban centers, the absence of effective warning systems and limited access to adequate shelters have increased civilian vulnerability to attacks. Restrictions on fuel distribution and lack of effective measures to facilitate evacuation have increased panic and fear, and raised concern about the impact on the rights to access to shelter, essential services, and the healthcare. Medical facilities are reportedly overwhelmed with shortages of critical supplies, further compromising the ability to treat the injured and uphold the right to health.
Compounding these challenges, on 18 June, Iran's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology placed temporary restrictions on internet access and messaging apps throughout the country. This has created a dangerous situation in which civilians are told to evacuate while simultaneously being cut off from digital communication tools that could help them coordinate safety, share information, or stay in touch with family members. The internet blackout has also prevented the outside world from knowing the full extent of the situation inside Iran.
The Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur have repeatedly expressed concern about the use of broadly defined national security offenses, some of which are punishable by death. Indeed, the UN experts have received concerning reports of arbitrary arrests of activists, journalists, social media users, and Afghan nationals over accusations of espionage with Israel. The reported execution of at least two individuals on espionage charges, along with the announcement of accelerated trial procedures, raise further alarm about due process and fair trial standards.
The UN experts are concerned about the situation of detainees still held in prisons near sites of bombings, thereby placing them at higher risk of potential airstrikes. The experts call on the Iranian authorities to relocate prisoners away from locations at risk from the airstrikes.
The experts also urge all parties to respect international law and the protection of civilians. The escalating hostilities pose grave risks to civilian populations across the region, with ordinary families and communities bearing the brunt of a conflict that threatens their safety, livelihoods, and daily lives.
