Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said that Afghan migrants were among those killed during recent protests in Iran.
In a statement posted on X, Bennett did not provide specific figures for the casualties but noted that roughly five million Afghans live in Iran and that some were among those detained or killed.
“The vast majority of those detained or killed are ordinary people, including children, from all provinces and diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, as well as Afghan nationals, of which there are some 5 million living in Iran,” Bennett wrote.
His comments came as UN human rights experts called on Iran to ensure transparency and accountability over the crackdown on the protests.
The experts urged Iranian authorities to disclose the fate and whereabouts of those detained, disappeared or reported missing during the nationwide demonstrations and to halt all executions linked to the unrest.
President Trump also addressed the protests on Friday, saying during a news conference that 32,000 people had been killed in a short period of time.
He described the situation as “very, very, very sad” and said the Iranian people were different from their leaders.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, disputed that figure and challenged Trump to provide evidence.
“The government of Iran has already published a comprehensive list of all 3,117 victims of the recent terrorist operations, including about 200 law enforcement personnel,” Araghchi wrote on X. “If anyone doubts the accuracy of our data, please speak with evidence.”
Iranian authorities have described participants in the anti-government protests as “terrorists,” a characterization rejected by many rights groups, which say the demonstrations were largely driven by public grievances over political repression and economic hardship.
