"Respect freedom of expression, refrain from unnecessary use of force": UN chief Antonio Guterres urges Iran amid protests

United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on Monday local time urged Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint amid unrest in the country stressing that the rights to freedom of expression association and peaceful assembly must be fully respected and protectedThe UN chiefs remarks come amid protests in Iran that killed at least 420 protesters during antigovernment demonstrations over the past 15 days including eight children according to Human Rights Activists in Iran HRA CNN reported In a post on X the UN SecretaryGeneral emphasised the need to refrain from the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force while handling public demonstrationsShocked by reports of violence amp excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters resulting in deaths amp injuries in recent days The rights to freedom of expression association amp peaceful assembly must be fully respected amp protected I urge the Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint amp refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force Guterres said in his postShocked by reports of violence amp excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters resulting in deaths amp injuries in recent daysThe rights to freedom of expression association amp peaceful assembly must be fully respected amp protectedI urge the Iranianhellipmdash Antoacutenio Guterres antonioguterres January 11 2026I also urge steps that enable access to information in the country including restoring communications the UN SecretaryGeneral saidMeanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that they are closely monitoring the unfolding situation in Iran as protests demanding freedom continue to spread across the countryNetanyahu voiced strong support for the Iranian peoples struggle against what he described as tyrannyIn a post on X Netanyahu wrote Israel is closely monitoring the events unfolding in Iran The protests for freedom have spread throughout the country The people of Israel and the entire world stand in awe of the immense bravery of Irans citizensThe protests began on December 28 as demonstrations against soaring inflation and economic hardship but soon escalated into tense nationwide unrest marked by violent clashes between protesters and security forcesDemonstrations have spread across multiple cities with authorities responding through arrests crackdowns and the use of force Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over the scale of casualties and the treatment of protestersIranian authorities have blamed the unrest on rioters and foreign interference while maintaining that legitimate economic grievances will be addressedAmid the unrest US officials told CNN that President Trump is weighing several military options in Iran following deadly protests after warning Tehran against using lethal force on demonstratorsIranian Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said legal action against protesters would be strict According to Tasnim news agency he said proceedings would be carried out without leniency mercy or appeasement The charges against all rioters are the same he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever