While monitoring the Islamic Republic’s state media, a headline appeared on ISNA (dated February 13, 2026): “Government Spokesperson Explains Actions of the Fact-Finding Committee for the January Incidents.”
The brief report stated: “The government spokesperson, referring to the ongoing activities of the Fact-Finding Committee for the January incidents, announced that the final report would be published following the completion of legal measures.” Fatemeh Mohajerani, in an interview with ISNA, noted: “The Fact-Finding Committee, comprising representatives from relevant institutions, is currently gathering documents and hearing testimonies.” She further emphasized: “The final report will be released to the public and for subsequent legal actions once the process is complete.” Previously, in the first press briefing following the events of January 8th and 9th, she had announced that the formation of this committee was on the agenda.”
The sheer audacity of this regime is staggering. It massacres thousands, delivers coups de grâce to victims on hospital beds, tortures detainees to broadcast forced confessions, or kills them under duress—only to then establish a “Fact-Finding Committee.” One can easily predict the outcome of such a report: It will undoubtedly claim that “Takfiri and terrorist groups” attempted a coup on January 8th and 9th, 2026, and that the “Unknown Soldiers of Hidden Imam” [Intelligence service’s agents] thwarted this conspiracy at the cost of many martyrs. This will be followed by a parade of forced confessions to justify the execution of protesters as “terrorists.” They might even claim “Islamic clemency” for not annihilating everyone in the streets, echoing the chilling words of Ahmad Ghadiri*: “If the death toll had reached 5,000, it would have cost us less than having to execute them one by one.”
The question remains: If this criminal regime—whose crimes against humanity were laid bare during the January 2026 uprising—so brazenly defends its atrocities, how has the international community defended human rights values against such a bloodthirsty system? Have the actions taken so far been sufficient? Let us examine these measures:
International Measures Taken Following the January 2026 Massacre:
- Emergency Sessions and Special Resolutions: The UN Human Rights Council reacted swiftly to the scale of the January atrocities, passing a special resolution to extend the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission, emphasizing the documentation of crimes committed during this specific period.
- Designating the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization: Following evidence of the IRGC Special Forces’ direct role in firing at protesters and managing secret detention centers, several global powers designated the entire institution as a terrorist entity.
- Targeted Sanctions via “Command Responsibility”: In the statements and resolutions issued by international bodies following the events of January 2026, there has been a clear emphasis on ensuring accountability for those responsible for serious human rights violations. These documents support the adoption or expansion of targeted sanctions against officials at various levels of authority.
Legal Critique: Why Have These Measures Failed to Stop the Killing?
From the perspective of international law, while these steps were necessary, they remain utterly insufficient. These measures have not yet reached the “executive and deterrent” phase:
- Regarding the IRGC Terrorist Listing: If this designation remains a mere “label,” it provides no relief. It gains legal teeth only when it leads to the global freezing of all assets, the criminalization of any cooperation with the entity, and most importantly, the arrest of its members abroad under the charge of state-sponsored terrorism. Without these consequences, the listing is a symbolic gesture that the regime simply ignores.
- The “Jurisdictional Vacuum”: As long as regime officials know that no international arrest warrants will follow these statements, they will continue to engineer “Total Darkness” and “Untraceable Crimes.” We must not forget former President Ahmadinejad’s dismissive response to UN Security Council resolutions: “Issue so many resolutions until your ‘resolution-holder’ bursts.” This remains a bitter reality; condemnation and listings without enforcement mechanisms are no barrier to this criminal regime.
Legal Obligations of the International Community to Prevent Continued Massacres
To uphold the UN Charter and fulfill fundamental obligations regarding the protection of human rights, the global community must immediately implement the following executive measures to break the cycle of violence and ensure justice for the January 2026 events:
- Activation of “Universal Jurisdiction”: Prosecutors in states party to international conventions must initiate individual criminal cases against regime officials based on evidence from the January 2026 uprising. Every official in the chain of command must know that the moment they step outside Iran, they will face handcuffs and a courtroom.
- Severing the Financial Arteries of Oppression: Following the terrorist designation of the IRGC, all front companies and associated bank accounts worldwide must be identified and seized. Labeling them as terrorists without drying up their financial resources is merely a diplomatic maneuver.
- Expulsion of Regime Representatives from Legal Forums: A regime that systematically violates the right to life should not hold a seat in any legal forum or human rights committee. Their presence provides undeserved legitimacy to the “audacity” of the government spokesperson’s internal fact-finding farce.
- Establishment of a “Digital No-Fly Zone”: The international community must technically guarantee that no state can create an isolated environment for massacre by shutting down the internet. Providing stable communication infrastructure to the Iranian people is now a human rights duty to protect human life.
Legal Conclusion
The formation of an “Internal Fact-Finding Committee” by the regime is a textbook case of “Judging Oneself,” a concept rejected by every legal system in the world. When the regime speaks of “completing legal measures” regarding the January crimes, it means the legalization of executions and the exoneration of murderers. Unless the international community intervenes with executive and binding actions, it effectively grants the killing machine the time it needs to erase the traces of the January massacre and prepare for the next.
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* Ahmad Ghadiri is the son of the regime’s former ambassador to Australia and a theorist close to security circles
