Iran protesters describe private toll of crackdown

[ad_1] Soroush Negahdari, BBC Monitoring and

Ghoncheh Habibiazad, BBC Persian

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9320/live/300ddc10-fb9c-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="WANA via REUTERS Iranians protest on a street in Tehran, Iran (8 January 2026)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> WANA through REUTERS Iranian authorities responded with deadly power because the protests in Tehran escalated on 8 January

"My mates are all like me. Everyone knows somebody who was killed within the protests."

For Parisa, a 29-year-old from Tehran, the crackdown by safety forces in Iran earlier this month was in contrast to something she had witnessed earlier than.

"In probably the most widespread earlier protests, I did not personally know a single one that had been killed," she mentioned.

Parisa mentioned she knew a minimum of 13 individuals who had been killed since protests over worsening financial situations erupted within the capital on 28 December after which advanced into one of many deadliest durations of anti-government unrest within the historical past of the Islamic Republic.

With one human rights group reporting that the variety of folks confirmed killed has handed 6,000, a number of younger Iranians ready converse to the BBC in current days, regardless of a near-total web shutdown, have described the non-public toll.

Parisa mentioned one 26-year-old lady she knew was killed by "a hail of bullets on the street" when the protests escalated throughout the nation on Thursday, 8 January, and Friday, 9 January, and authorities responded with deadly power to crush them.

She herself took half in protests within the north of Tehran that Thursday, which she insisted have been peaceable.

"No-one was violent and no-one clashed with the safety forces. However on Friday night time they nonetheless opened fireplace on the group," she mentioned.

"The odor of gunpowder and bullets crammed the neighbourhoods the place clashes have been happening."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/43c3/live/b839c8b0-fb9c-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS Screengrab of undated video showing protesters in Tehran, Iran, posted on 9 January 2026" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> SOCIAL MEDIA through REUTERS The protests have been sparked by financial hardship however rapidly widened into calls for for political change

Mehdi, 24, who can also be from Tehran, echoed her evaluation of the size of the protests and violence.

"I had by no means seen something even near this degree of turnout and such killings and violence by the safety forces," he mentioned.

"Regardless of the killings on Thursday [8 January] and threats of extra killings on Friday, folks got here out, as a result of lots of them might not endure it and had nothing left to lose," he added.

Mehdi described witnessing a number of killings of protesters at shut vary by safety forces.

"I noticed a younger man killed proper in entrance of my eyes with two reside rounds," he mentioned.

"Motorcyclists shot a younger man within the face with a shotgun. He fell on the spot and by no means acquired again up."

The US-based Human Rights Activists Information Company (Hrana) says it has up to now confirmed the killing of a minimum of 6,159 folks because the unrest started, together with 5,804 protesters, 92 youngsters and 214 folks affiliated with the federal government. It is usually investigating 17,000 extra reported deaths.

Skylar Thompson, from Hrana, advised the BBC the confirmed variety of lifeless was very more likely to rise.

"We're actually dedicated to making sure that each single piece of verified info that we report on sits subsequent to a reputation and a location," she added.

One other group, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), has warned that the ultimate toll might exceed 25,000.

Iranian authorities mentioned final week that greater than 3,100 folks had been killed, however that almost all have been safety personnel or bystanders attacked by "rioters".

Most worldwide information organisations, together with the BBC, are barred from reporting inside Iran. However movies displaying safety forces firing reside ammunition at crowds have been verified by the BBC.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/d8ec/live/ee43e6b0-fb9d-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP A woman shows spent shotgun rounds and a rubber pellet reportedly collected during the protests on 8 January 2026 in Tehran, Iran (21 January 2026)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP Shotgun cartridges and rubber bullets recovered on Tehran streets on 8 January

Sahar, a 27-year-old from the capital, mentioned she knew seven individuals who had been killed.

She described how the safety forces' response to the unrest escalated quickly on 8 January.

Throughout a protest that night, Sahar and her mates sought refuge in a close-by home after tear gasoline was fired.

"My pal caught his head out of a window to see what was happening they usually shot him within the neck," she mentioned.

One other pal was wounded by pellets and later bled to dying after avoiding going to hospital out of worry of being detained, in line with Sahar.

Sahar mentioned a 3rd pal died whereas being detained by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

"They [officers] advised his household to come back to the IRGC intelligence workplace. After a number of days they rang and mentioned, 'Come and gather the physique.'"

On 9 January, Sahar mentioned, reside ammunition was fired overtly and "with out mercy" by uniformed safety personnel.

"They have been pointing lasers at folks, and locals have been opening their automobile park doorways for us to cover," she mentioned.

The communications blackout compounded the trauma.

"Proper now there is no information in any respect," Sahar mentioned. "With out web or telephone traces we had no thought what was taking place to anybody. We might barely get calls by simply to get bits of reports."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/da03/live/beaf5cd0-fba3-11f0-a1ee-f9a3598885a9.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A green laser is seen during a protest in Iran" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> One video confirmed a inexperienced laser pointed in the direction of a big crowd of protesters in Tehran

Parham, 27, described widespread use of pellet weapons by safety forces in Tehran, notably focusing on protesters' faces and eyes.

One among his mates, Sina, 23, was shot within the brow and eye on 9 January.

"We took him to a hospital, however the physician might solely give us a prescription and advised us to go away as quickly as doable," Parham mentioned.

At an eye fixed hospital, he added, wounded protesters arrived always.

"Each 10 minutes, it felt like they have been bringing in another person who had been hit by a pellet."

A employee on the hospital's cafe mentioned she had seen "70 folks with eye accidents are available throughout a single shift", in line with Parham.

Sina - who nonetheless has pellets caught behind certainly one of his eyes and in his brow - mentioned that they had been terrified of being arrested on the first hospital due to the necessity to give their ID numbers, so that they had gone to a non-public eye hospital.

He mentioned he was "fortunate" in comparison with the others who he noticed on the eye hospital, who had "pellets throughout their faces and in each of their eyes".

The BBC has seen a medical doc in Sina's identify that claims "there's a 5mm metallic overseas physique" behind his eye.

The medical information of plenty of different protesters with pellet-gun wounds have additionally been acquired and verified by the BBC.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/797b/live/6b419c50-fb9b-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="EPA Motorcyclists drive past a billboard showing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a quote accusing US President Donald Trump of fomenting the recent deadly unrest (24 January 2026)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> EPA Iran's leaders have portrayed the unrest as "riots" fomented by the US

Protesters and activists have additionally described a sample of refusal by the authorities at hand over the our bodies of these killed to their households.

Mehdi mentioned his pal's cousin was killed and that the household was advised by officers to both pay a big sum of cash to obtain his physique or conform to him being recorded as a member of the safety forces.

"They mentioned, 'Both pay 1 billion tomans [more than $7,000; £5,000] for us at hand over the physique to the household, or you need to say he was a member of the Basij and was martyred for public safety and in opposition to the riots.'"

Navid, a 38-year-old from Isfahan, additionally mentioned two shut mates whose family have been killed had acquired such an ultimatum.

"They are saying you need to pay the equal of a number of thousand {dollars} or allow us to difficulty them a Basij card so they're counted among the many safety forces' lifeless," he cited his mates as saying.