Resources on the Ongoing Protests & Human Rights Issues in Iran
A Curated List for Clinicians, Care Workers & Community Members
Over the past few weeks, Mahboubeh Katirai and I — two Iranian queer clinicians — have been gathering a collection of resources related to the recent and ongoing protests in Iran, which began in late December 2025.
We are sharing these resources with humility and care.
Some of you reading this may be Iranian-identified yourselves.
Some may be supporting Iranian clients in the diaspora.
Some may have loved ones who are directly impacted.
Some may simply be seeking to better understand the broader political, historical and human rights context shaping the lived realities of people in and from Iran at this time.
We want to be clear: This list is neither exhaustive nor definitive!
No single article, organization or perspective — including anything we could write — can fully capture the diversity, depth, nuance and historical complexity of Iranian people’s experiences and political realities.
We are not presenting ourselves as experts.
We are simply sharing a range of sources from multiple geopolitical locations, orientations and perspectives.
We trust your critical thinking, integrity and care as you engage with them.
Human Rights Documentation & Historical Context
Fact Sheets & Infographics on Human Rights in Iran
Center for Human Rights in Iran
This resource provides concise factual breakdowns of human rights issues in Iran’s recent history, including topic-specific infographics and timelines.
Freedom Denied – Protests in Iran
Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
A historical record of protest movements in Iran from the 1979 Revolution onward — helpful for situating current protests within longer cycles of citizen mobilization.
Iran Events of 2025
Human Rights Watch
A country chapter focused on Iran, including documented human rights concerns and recent protest-related events.
Ongoing Reporting from Human Rights Organizations
Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
An independent human rights organization reporting on abuses across Iranian regions, including Kurdish areas that are often underreported in Western media.
Iran Human Rights
A Norway-based nonprofit with members and contributors residing in Iran, Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan. Provides up-to-date reporting on protest impacts, executions, detentions and legal cases.
Independent News Coverage (Interviews & Analysis)
The following outlets have featured interviews with Iranian journalists, authors, professors, analysts and cybersecurity specialists — many based in diasporic communities across North America and Europe.
Democracy Now (U.S.-based independent news program)
“Born in Evin Prison, Iranian author on protests against authoritarian, theocratic regime”
“Can US & Iran Lower Tensions? Officials Begin New Talks Amid Trump Threats of Military Strike”
DW News (Deutsche Welle, Germany)
A Gentle Reminder
Information about state violence, repression and political instability can be activating, overwhelming, traumatic or re-traumatizing — particularly for those with personal or familial connections to Iran, or with histories of state violence and displacement.
This is especially true for clinicians and care workers who are continuing to hold space for others while navigating their own responses.
Please pace yourself.
Engage in ways that feel resourced and sustainable.
Tend to your body and nervous system.
Seek support if needed.
Your well-being matters!
Music for Connection & Healing
During difficult times, instrumental music can help some of us reconnect with spirit, cultural heritage, collective wisdom, joy and grief held in the body.
If helpful in your own process:
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to justice-oriented, culturally responsive and trauma-informed care.
In solidarity and with compassion.