UN News Today 13 January 2026 |

Iran crisis: UN rights chief urges dialogue amid death penalty threats

As international phone lines were reportedly restored across Iran on Tuesday amid ongoing protests that may have left up to 2,000 people dead, the UN human rights office expressed deep concern at the possible use of the death penalty against demonstrators.

Speaking in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said that it was extremely worrying to read statements from Iranian officials about using “expedited” trials to execute protesters.

He noted that at least 12 people have been put to death in Iran for their alleged role in widespread protests in 2022, following the killing in police custody of Mahsa Amini:

“As we saw most recently in 2022, broad sections of the Iranian population have taken to the streets demanding fundamental changes in the governance of their country. And once again, the authority’s reaction is to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change…This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue.”

The UN human rights office has condemned the practice of labelling protesters as “terrorists” to justify violence against them. 

Reports indicate that several hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of casualties, who include children. There are reports indicating that members of the security forces have also been killed.

Ukraine: UN appeals for $2.3 billion to support ‘heroic work’ of aid teams 

Amid intensifying Russian attacks across Ukraine, the UN on Tuesday led a $2.3 billion humanitarian appeal to support 4.1 million of the country’s most vulnerable people.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, the UN and its partners have supported people in need, from city residents who continue to face repeated drone and missile strikes, to communities close to the frontline and others who’ve been evacuated away from danger. 

Matthias Schmale is the UN’s top aid official in Ukraine:

“We have about 500 partners involved in the planning, but importantly in the implementation; by far the majority our national partners, including fantastic national NGOs that do heroic work near the frontline in helping people evacuate and in helping people cope with the impact of military strikes.”

According to media reports and official information from Kyiv, over the past week alone, Russian forces launched nearly 1,100 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 890 guided aerial bombs and at least 50 missiles of various types. 

This includes an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile that targeted Lviv in western Ukraine, close to the Polish border.

Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF

Airstrikes, drone attacks and hypothermia are continuing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 youngsters killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Speaking from Gaza City, spokesperson James Elder said that the tally represented roughly a girl or a boy killed every day for the last three months:

“These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones. “They’re killed from tank shelling, they’re killed from live ammunition, they’re killed from [remote-controlled] quadcopters… A cease-fire that slows the bombs is progress, but one that still buries children is not enough.”

Harsh winter conditions in the enclave have also claimed the lives of six more children who’ve died of hypothermia in recent days, Mr. Elder said, adding that strong winds are still “ripping through tents on the beach” where displaced Gazans are forced to shelter.

The UNICEF spokesperson stressed that the ceasefire had allowed “genuine progress” in primary healthcare access, including immunization.

But desperately needed medical evacuations of children remain at a standstill, including youngsters who need amputations or urgent eye surgery to save their sight.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.