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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Video footage showing four armed Iranian police officers beating a teenager in the northwestern city of Tabriz, forcing him to the ground and pulling down his trousers before appearing to grope him, has triggered outrage and forced authorities to announce disciplinary action against those involved.
The incident took place on June 4 after police were called to what authorities described as a street fight. The circumstances surrounding the confrontation remain unclear, and police have released little information about the teenager.
The one-minute-13-second video shows four armed officers surrounding the teenager in a public area. One officer strikes him on the back of the head while another grabs his arm. Several officers then hit him before forcing him to the ground.
The teenager is struck repeatedly while lying down. One officer restrains his upper body as another pulls down his trousers, exposing him, and appears to grope him. At least one officer can be seen filming the incident from another angle.
After the footage circulated widely online, East Azerbaijan police acknowledged what they called the officers’ “improper conduct” and said those involved had been disciplined and placed on “awaiting service” status while further proceedings continue.
“Following the release of a video showing improper conduct by police officers towards a suspect in Tabriz, the East Azerbaijan police commander ordered an investigation into the matter and disciplinary action against those involved,” the statement said.
Authorities also highlighted the teenager’s alleged criminal record, saying he had previous offences including wielding a machete, fighting, harassing residents and distributing narcotics. Police nevertheless acknowledged that those allegations did not justify conduct outside legal standards.
The video has revived broader concerns over the everyday conduct of Iran’s police force, known as FARAJA, particularly the use of excessive force against detainees and criminal suspects and the limited accountability available when abuse occurs.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly described impunity among Iranian security forces as widespread, saying authorities have failed to meaningfully investigate numerous allegations of excessive force, torture and sexual assault.
Its reporting has also documented mistreatment of detainees outside purely political cases, including abuses against Kurdish border couriers and other people taken into custody.
Amnesty International has similarly documented a long-standing pattern of torture and other ill-treatment by Iran’s police, intelligence bodies, security forces and prison officials, including beatings, electric shocks, sexual abuse and coerced confessions.
The same institutions have also played a central role in suppressing political protests.
During the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising and the January 2026 protests, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented beatings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and lethal force by police and other security bodies.
The Tabriz case is unusual mainly in that the alleged abuse was filmed in public and the police themselves acknowledged misconduct, prompting disciplinary action against the officers.
“Iranian authorities and police forces systematically employ inhumane treatment, arbitrary detentions, and public degradation when dealing with both alleged criminals and political dissidents,” the European Union Agency for Asylum said last year.
