As more and more civilians bear the cruel toll of the terrifying military escalation in Iran and Israel since 13 June 2025, and amid threats of further escalation in the conflict, Amnesty International is urging the Israeli and Iranian authorities to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 16 June, an Iranian government spokesperson reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 224 people, including 74 women and children, without specifying how many of them were civilians. The health ministry also stated 1,800 people have been injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Israel, the Israeli Military Home Front reported that Iranian attacks had killed at least 24 people, including women and children, stating that they were all civilians, with nearly 600 injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, Amnesty International is urging both parties to comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action,\u201d said Agn\u00e8s Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFurther escalation of these hostilities risks unleashing devastating and far-reaching consequences for civilians across the region and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAs the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, Amnesty International is urging both parties to comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action<\/p>\nAgn\u00e8s\u00a0Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStatements by the US and the G7 so far have failed to recognize the catastrophic impact this escalation will have on civilians in both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInstead of cheering on one party to the conflict over another as if civilian suffering is a mere sideshow, states must ensure the protection of civilians. Preventing further suffering must be the priority \u2013 not the pursuit of military or geopolitical goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBoth Israeli and Iranian authorities have time and again demonstrated their utter disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law, committing grave international crimes with impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe world must not allow Israel to use this military escalation to divert attention away from its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, its illegal occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLikewise, the international community must not ignore the suffering that decades of crimes under international law by the Iranian authorities have inflicted upon people inside Iran, that is now being compounded by relentless bombardment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under international humanitarian law, all parties must take all feasible precautions to spare civilians and minimize their suffering and casualties. International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks directed at civilians and civilian objects, as well as attacks which do not distinguish between military targets and civilians or civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this reason, weapons that are extremely inaccurate and have large warheads that produce large area effects, such as ballistic missiles, should never be used in areas with large populations of civilians. Attacks on military objectives that are likely to result in disproportionate civilian casualties or destruction of civilian objects are also prohibited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the deadliest incident in Israel, eight people including three children, were killed in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, on 15 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Iran, at least 12 people including children and a pregnant woman were killed in one attack in Tajrish square in Tehran on 15 June.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the shadow of this latest escalation, Israeli authorities continue to forcibly displace and starve Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip as part of their ongoing genocide. They have imposed a full closure on the West Bank, where state-backed settler violence continues to rise, further entrenching Israel\u2019s illegal occupation and apartheid system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have responded to Israel\u2019s latest military attacks by imposing internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country. They have also restricted prisoners\u2019 communication with the outside world, including those in prisons near sites of the bombings. On 16 June, the Iranian authorities executed a man for alleged espionage for Israel, raising concerns about the fate of others on death row<\/a> for similar charges. The Iranian authorities must release all human rights defenders and others arbitrarily detained and should relocate other prisoners away from locations at risk of being attacked by Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sinister and fear-inducing \u2018<\/strong>warnings\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Over the past three days, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defence Israel Katz<\/a>, and Persian-language spokesperson of the Israeli army Kamal Pinchasi<\/a> have issued alarming threats and overly broad, ineffective evacuation warnings to millions of civilians in Tehran a major city with a population of around 10 million people, located in Tehran province which is home to around 19 million people<\/a>. In some cases, warnings were issued in the middle of the night when residents were asleep or did not clarify if they referred to the city or the province of Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 16 June, Israel Katz, Israel\u2019s Minister of Defense threatened <\/a> on X<\/a> that \u201cthe residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price\u201d for the actions of the Iranian authorities. Hours later, the Israeli military\u2019s Persian-language spokesperson warned civilians to evacuate Tehran\u2019s District Three \u2013 an area of approximately 30 square km and home to over 350,000 people- via a video<\/a> showing unclear danger zones. The video included a map<\/a> indicating danger zones for civilians but did not clearly specify targeted locations or areas of blast and fragmentation hazard, leaving residents uncertain about which areas to avoid. Iranian civil society activists later republished<\/a> the map with cleared boundaries and locations named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to the \u201cevacuation\u201d warnings on 16 June, the Israeli army had issued another overly broad warning in Persian<\/a>, instructing people across the country to \u201cimmediately leave areas \u2026 [housing] military weapons manufacturing facilities and their support institutions\u201d. The statement sowed panic and confusion among people, as the locations of military facilities are not known to the general public, and no clear guidance was provided on where civilians should or should not go to ensure their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evacuation warnings, even if detailed and effective, do not release Israel from its other obligations under international humanitarian law. They must not treat as open-fire zones areas for which they have issued warnings. Millions of people in Tehran cannot leave, either because they have no alternative residences outside the city or due to limited mobility, disability, blocked roads, fuel shortages or other constraints. Israel has an obligation to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to these civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early morning Tehran time on 17 June, US President Donald Trump caused further panic with a Truth Social post stating: \u201cEveryone should immediately evacuate Tehran.\u201d US Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> and the White House<\/a> amplified the message on X, amid media reports that the United States may join Israel in striking Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In reaction to the Israeli warnings, Iranian <\/a>state media reported<\/a> on 15 June that the Iranian armed forces had issued warnings urging residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate. In a video<\/a> aired on state media, Reza Sayed, spokesperson of the Communication Center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces stated: \u201cLeave the occupied territories [referring to Israel and the OPT], as they will undoubtedly become uninhabitable for you in the future \u2026 Do not allow the criminal regime to use you as human shields. Avoid residing or moving near the aforementioned locations and know that even underground shelters will not provide you with safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Israel, these Iranian warnings have not triggered the same level of chaos and mass evacuation, largely due to the presence of the Iron Dome defense system and available shelters. However, there have been cases where civilians, particularly Palestinian citizens of Israel and Bedouin communities, who do not have access to underground shelters, such as the Khatib family<\/a> in the Palestinian town of Tamra, were killed as a result of an Iranian missile strike. Israeli civil society groups<\/a> are calling on the government to urgently address the chronic lack of protected space for non-Jewish Israeli citizens<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parties to armed conflicts are prohibited from issuing threats of violence which are designed to spread terror among the civilian population. They cannot hide behind overly general warnings to claim that they have met their obligations under international law. To constitute effective warnings under international humanitarian law, parties must provide civilians with clear and practical instructions on moving away from military objectives that will be targeted rather than unlawfully calling for the mass exodus of millions \u2013 an approach that appears designed more to incite panic and terror among civilians than to ensure their protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Internet shutdowns and media censorship<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In Iran, the authorities have disrupted access to the Internet and instant messaging applications, preventing millions of people caught up in the conflict from accessing essential information and communicating with loved ones both inside and outside the country and thereby exacerbating their suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAccess to the Internet is essential to protect human rights, especially in times of armed conflict where communications blackouts would prevent people from finding safe routes, accessing life-saving resources, and staying informed. The Iranian authorities must immediately ensure full restoration of internet and communication services in all of Iran,\u201d said Agn\u00e8s Callamard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Israeli authorities are also using vague security pretexts to target people over social media posts or sharing videos deemed to breach strict censorship rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsraeli authorities must refrain from using military escalations, as they have done in the past, as a further pretext to crack down on freedom of expression, disproportionately targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel, including through arbitrary detention over unsubstantiated allegations of incitement,\u201d said Agn\u00e8s Callamard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On 13 June 2025, Israeli authorities launched air and drone strikes against Iranian territory. Shortly afterwards, Israeli officials announced that they launched the operation to target Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and decapitate Iran\u2019s military leadership. The Israeli strikes began as Iran and the US were in the process of negotiating a new deal to limit Iran\u2019s nuclear program and enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iranian authorities have retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones against Israeli territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israeli attacks have struck cities in multiple provinces across Iran, including the provinces of Alborz, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Fars, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Lorestan, Ilam, Markazi, Qom, Tehran, West Azerbaijan and Khorasan Razavi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iranian attacks have struck several urban areas in Israel, such as Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Tamra, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Haifa, Herzliya.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Hong Kong: Activists\u2019 unjust trial for peaceful Tiananmen commemoration resumes<\/a><\/h3><\/div><\/article>
Death penalty in 2025 – Facts and figures<\/a><\/h3><\/div><\/article><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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