The nationwide uprising against the religious dictatorship in Iran has reached its nineteenth day on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Following a bloody eighteenth day, where the Judiciary Chief ordered “speedy” executions and the confirmed death toll surpassed 3,000, the regime has escalated its crackdown to unprecedented levels.
On Thursday, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) revealed shocking statistics regarding the scale of the regime’s repression, while the international community, from the G7 to former European leaders, rallied to support the Iranian people’s right to establish a democratic republic.
Day 19 Roundup: Over 50,000 arrests, drone surveillance, and global calls to blacklist IRGC
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, the nineteenth day of the uprising, the regime’s desperation became evident as arrest numbers soared and high-tech surveillance was deployed against unarmed protesters. Iran has now been in a full week of total internet blackout.
https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/2011838716562542678
Key highlights from today include:
- 50,000 Arrests: The PMOI/MEK announced that over 50,000 people have been arrested since the uprising began on December 28, with security forces conducting surprise raids on homes and workplaces.
- Former EU Leaders’ Letter: Twelve former European leaders, including former Prime Ministers of Belgium, Greece, and Ireland, signed an open letter urging the EU to recognize the Iranian people’s right to resist tyranny and to blacklist the IRGC.
- G7 Condemnation: Foreign Ministers of the G7 nations issued a joint statement strongly opposing the “brutal repression” and warning of additional restrictive measures.
- Drones Hunting Civilians: Reports confirm the regime is using military-grade drones to identify, track, and arrest peaceful protesters, treating citizens as “enemy combatants.”
- Call for UN Action: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi urged the immediate dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to visit the regime’s prisons, warning that the mullahs recognize no limits in their cruelty.
PMOI confirms 50,000 arrests; Mrs. Rajavi warns of “Khamenei’s desperation”
In a harrowing update on the scale of the state crackdown, the PMOI has confirmed that the number of detainees has exceeded 50,000 between December 28, 2025, and January 14, 2026. This figure is based on detailed investigations across 144 cities and inquiries in 76 others.
According to an announcement by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the total number of arrests and detentions nationwide during the uprising, from December 28 to January 14, has reached 50,000.
Iran’s criminal rulers, determined to preserve the disgraceful… pic.twitter.com/YQyqvoaLQL— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 15, 2026
The arrests are being carried out through surprise raids on neighborhoods, homes, and workplaces. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), described this mass incarceration as a sign of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “desperation in the face of the people’s uprising.” She warned that the regime “will stop at no crime” to preserve its rule and called for an urgent international fact-finding mission to inspect the prisons.
The scale of these arrests echoes the 2022 uprising, where the regime’s Judiciary Chief eventually admitted to filing nearly 90,000 cases against protesters.
Former EU leaders to EU Presidency: Recognize right to resist, reject Shah and Mullahs
In a significant diplomatic development, 12 former European leaders—including former Prime Ministers of Belgium, Greece, Ireland, and the Czech Republic—sent an open letter to the leadership of the European Union.
https://twitter.com/HanifJazayeri/status/2011847392430301377
The signatories urged the EU to “recognize the right of the Iranian people to resist tyranny and establish a democratic republic.” Crucially, the letter addressed the regime’s disinformation campaigns, clarifying that the Iranian people reject any return to the Pahlavi dictatorship. They cited the popular chant, “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader,” as proof that the people seek a future free of all dictatorships.
The leaders also called for the immediate blacklisting of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Regime wages war with drones; G7 and US lawmakers condemn “barbaric tyranny”
Reports have emerged that the regime is treating its own citizens as enemy combatants by deploying military drone technology to identify and track peaceful protesters for arrest. This surveillance tactic highlights the militarization of the crackdown.
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting. The G7 Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement condemning the “deliberate use of violence” and the killing of protesters. In the United States, lawmakers from both parties expressed solidarity. Senator Ted Cruz stated that “The people of Iran taking out their tyrannical regime would make America much, much safer,” while Senator Dave McCormick praised the courage of Iranians standing up to “barbaric tyranny.”
Global solidarity: Lawmakers from US to New Zealand stand with the uprising
As the regime attempts to hide its crimes behind a digital blackout, political figures from across the globe are breaking the silence, offering unwavering support to the Iranian people and condemning the mullahs’ brutality.
In New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed that his government is “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression.” He condemned the killing of protesters and emphasized that Iranians have a fundamental right to peaceful protest and access to information. Peters also issued a stern warning to New Zealanders currently in Iran to “leave now.”
New Zealand is appalled by the escalation of violence and repression in Iran.
We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters.
Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to…
— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) January 15, 2026
In the United States, support for the uprising remains bipartisan and vocal:
- Senator Deb Fischer took to the Senate floor to reaffirm her solidarity with the Iranian people against the regime’s “flagrant economic mismanagement and brutal treatment.”
- Rep. Nancy Mace highlighted the lethal nature of the crackdown, stating, “Thousands of Iranians murdered the last few days. Praying for their safe keeping tonight.”
- Rep. Laura Friedman declared her stance with the protesters, noting they are simply asking for “freedom for themselves and future generations.”
- Rep. Lois Frankel emphasized that the “suppression of fundamental rights anywhere threatens democracy everywhere,” pledging support for the students, women, and workers fighting the “murderous regime.”
- Congressman Jim Himes praised the “enormous courage” of the people taking to the streets to fight for self-determination after years of tyranny.
- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi called for “forceful diplomacy and coordinated international pressure” to support those fighting for change, rejecting the regime’s response of mass killings.