Masih Alinejad tells U.N. Security Council that Iran used lethal force

Masih Alinejad testified to the U.N. Security Council urging concrete action over reported lethal force against protesters in Iran and criticized limited public comment from the U.N. Secretary‑General. She reported an internet shutdown, cited media casualty estimates, and said dissidents face threats at home and abroad, including alleged assassination attempts linked to the IRGC.

Masih Alinejad spoke to the U.N. Security Council after being invited by the United States. She framed her remarks as representing millions of Iranians and urged the council to take concrete steps in response to reported violence and communications blackouts inside Iran. She criticized the limited public response from the U.N. Secretary‑General and described threats facing dissidents both inside Iran and abroad. Reported details: - Alinejad said widespread protests began on December 28, linked to economic collapse and broader demands against the ruling system, and she cited media reports of large numbers of deaths. - She reported an internet shutdown that she described as deliberate and said it has limited outside verification of events inside Iran. - She described transnational threats to dissidents, said two accused would‑be assassins were sentenced in New York, and stated she will face two other accused attackers in court in March. - Alinejad named senior Iranian officials and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as responsible in her testimony and compared the regime’s conduct to extremist groups, saying it should not be treated as a legitimate government. Summary: The testimony places pressure on international bodies by reporting alleged widespread use of lethal force, a deliberate communications blackout, and threats to critics abroad. Alinejad noted a March court proceeding for two accused attackers; the U.N. response and any further international measures are undetermined at this time.