By Kayhan Life Staff
British foreign minister Yvette Cooper condemned the Iranian leadership for what she described as the “horrendous and brutal killing” of protesters, saying Britain had summoned the Iranian ambassador to underline the gravity of the situation.
“The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest of terms the horrendous and brutal killing of Iranian protesters, and we demand that the Iranian authorities respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of their citizens,” Cooper told the U.K. parliament on Jan 13.
Cooper told lawmakers Britain would bring forward legislation to implement full and further sanctions and sectoral measures against Iran.
According to Iran International, a London-based Persian-language broadcaster, its editorial board has concluded that at least 12,000 people were killed over two nights on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. Its statement condemned the episode as the deadliest mass killing in Iran’s contemporary history.
The outlet said it reviewed information through what it described as a rigorous, multi-stage process, drawing on sources close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and presidential office, accounts from within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, testimony from eyewitnesses and families, field reports, medical data, and information from doctors and nurses.
Writing on the social media platform X, on Jan. 12, Cooper described the killing of peaceful protesters as “horrific and savage.”
She said she had spoken with Abbas Araghchi and had conveyed directly and unequivocally that the Iranian government needed to end the violence immediately, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and guarantee the safety of British citizens.
The emphasis on the security of British nationals signaled that London was tracking developments through a human rights lens and in terms of states’ obligations toward foreign citizens on their soil.
Trump Urges Iranians to Keep Protesting, Says ‘Help Is on Its Way’
Cooper had said two days earlier that Britain, working alongside international partners, had condemned the killing of Iranian protesters and had called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to respect the fundamental right of people to take part in peaceful protests without fear of violence or reprisals.
That position followed a joint statement issued on Jan. 10 by Britain and its international partners, which forcefully condemned the “killing of Iranian protesters” and urged Iranian officials to respect “the fundamental rights of people to participate in peaceful demonstrations, without fear of violence or retaliatory measures.”
London has sought to frame its stance not as a unilateral action but as part of a coordinated approach with allies, reinforcing its position through multilateral alignment. In a joint statement by the leaders of Britain, Germany, and France, the three governments said they were “deeply concerned” by reports of violence used by Iranian security forces and “strongly condemned” the killing of protesters.
The statement said Iranian authorities had a responsibility to protect the lives and rights of their people and must recognize and uphold freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly without fear of persecution, retaliation, or punishment.
Beyond its blunt condemnation of the violence, the language amounted to a clear demand for a change in the behavior of security institutions and for guarantees of citizens’ civil rights. The leaders wrote that they called on Iranian authorities to exercise restraint, refrain from the use of force, and respect the fundamental rights of Iranians.
All Iran’s Diplomatic Staff, Representatives Banned From European Parliament, EU’s Metsola Says
