UN Special Rapporteur: Iran’s Protest Crackdown Among the Most Brutal in Modern HistoryAccording to these reports, more than half of these wounded individuals have died inside the prison due to the lack of medical care, torture, and inhumane conditions. The prison infirmary lacks even the most basic medical facilities, and no effective services have been provided even for primary measures such as administering intravenous fluids or changing dressings. It has also been reported that more than 2,000 newly detained individuals are being held in halls separate from previous prisoner halls without heating systems, without blankets, without warm clothing, and with extremely limited food. These detainees are subjected to continuous torture, and the number of those arrested is increasing daily. This information indicates that Lakan Prison in Rasht has effectively turned into a site for the deaths of the wounded and the mass repression of detainees. Families in Rasht and surrounding areas who are searching for missing loved ones are urged to go to Lakan Prison to seek information about their status. What is taking place constitutes a series of killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and widespread human rights violations, for which the security institutions and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bear direct responsibility. This report is published as an urgent warning to prevent the continuation of these crimes, and the source has been withheld for security reasons.
Iran: Widespread Deaths of the Wounded, More Than 2,000 Detainees in Lakan Prison
According to information received from inside Lakan Prison in the city of Rasht, in northern Iran, unusual activities began at the prison in the days leading up to the bloody killings on Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9. Several days before these events, all inmates were gathered together, about half of the prison space was cleared of previous prisoners and separated, and at the same time a large number of security forces and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful military-security force of Iran’s regime, entered the prison.
From Thursday until Sunday, all contact with the prison was completely cut off. After limited communication was restored, it became clear that dozens of gunshot-wounded individuals with severe injuries and heavy bleeding had been transferred to prison wounded people who urgently required hospital treatment but were instead brought to the prison by IRGC forces and the IRGC Intelligence Organization.
Latest Developments in the Iran Uprising; Italy Joins Calls for Proscribing IRGC
As international criticism over the crackdown in Iran intensifies, Italy has also shifted its position regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the powerful military and security force of Iran’s regime. Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, announced that Italy will submit a proposal in Brussels this week to have the IRGC placed on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations.
The foreign ministers of the 27 European Union member states are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Thursday to review the issue. Until now, Italy, alongside France and Spain, had been among the most prominent opponents of designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization by the EU.
IRGC Calls for ‘Psychological Preparation’ Amid Growing Fears of Snapback SanctionsThe opposition of these countries did not necessarily amount to support for the IRGC; rather, within the framework of appeasement policies, they sought to avoid completely cutting communication channels with Iran’s regime in order to preserve their commercial interests. Despite this, the European Parliament last week once again passed, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution calling on the European Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization—an action reflecting mounting international political pressure on Iran’s regime.
U.S. representative to the United Nations: the killings in Iran are organized and state-driven
Mike Waltz, the United States representative to the United Nations, said on Sunday, January 25, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, that the ongoing crackdown in Iran amounts to killings backed by the government, warning that the true number of victims may be far higher than current estimates. Referring to widespread internet shutdowns, disruptions to the Starlink satellite network, and even power outages across various regions of Iran, Waltz said that what is unfolding in Iran today constitutes a full-scale state-led massacre. The U.S. representative to the United Nations further emphasized that the administration of President Donald Trump will take measured and coordinated steps in response to developments in Iran. According to him, the U.S. president will ensure that American military bases are fully protected, that Israel is safeguarded against any retaliatory actions by Iran’s regime, and that full coordination is maintained with allies and countries in the region.Bercow: the scale of the Iran uprising would not have been possible without organization
John Bercow, the former Speaker of the UK House of Commons, described the scale and intensity of the protests in Iran as unprecedented in an interview with The Washington Times, saying that the vast size, geographical spread, and intensity of the uprising owe a great deal to organization.Tehran Has Temporarily Crushed Street Protests, But the Economic Crisis ContinuesReferring to the role of organized opposition, he added that the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a major opposition coalition, has repeatedly stressed that overthrowing a repressive government is not possible without a cohesive internal network. Bercow described this as a key distinction between the current protests and past, fragmented movements. In another part of the interview, the former Speaker of the House of Commons referred to the leadership of the National Council of Resistance and said that Maryam Rajavi provides inspiring and outstanding leadership. He said she never talks about herself, does not repeat her own name, and does not say that she must be the leader. Bercow also compared political currents claiming leadership of Iran’s future, stressing that there are fundamental differences between monarchist views and the democratic plans of the National Council of Resistance. According to him, Reza Pahlavi remains committed to the outdated concept of aristocratic monarchy and feudalism, which he described as being in clear contradiction with the democratic agenda of the organized opposition.
Tehran Has Temporarily Crushed Street Protests, But the Economic Crisis Continues
The Iranian regime may have used force to break street protests, but it has no comparable solution for an economy trapped under runaway inflation and collapsing incomes.
The January protests in Iran began after a sharp surge in foreign exchange rates, but they quickly escalated into open chants calling for the overthrow of the Iranian regime.
Many Iranians now likely personally know people who were killed on January 8 and 9.
Arrests and enforced disappearances, the exact scale of which remains unclear, have also plunged countless families into crisis and deepened fear and insecurity.
According to individuals who have recently left Iran or managed to establish internet access via Starlink, businesses across the country have either shut down or are operating at minimal capacity, a situation resulting from currency turmoil and prolonged internet shutdowns.
On one hand, customers have disappeared, and on the other, sellers are reluctant to offer goods.
According to shopkeepers, due to exchange rate volatility, they are not confident they can replace their inventory, turning even everyday transactions into a gamble. Many prefer not to sell anything at all. Even before the protests began, businesses were already under severe pressure. Data published by the state-run economic website Eco Iran show that bank lending from March to November 2025 increased by 47% compared to the same period in 2024, but 82% of loans granted to the production sector were used for “working capital,” indicating that firms borrowed not for expansion, but merely to survive.Iranian Authorities Sentence Soldier to Death for Refusing to Fire at Protesters #IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahshttps://t.co/lPKXv8Ry3N
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 20, 2026
Declining purchasing power
Shortly after the protests began, the government announced a plan aimed at compensating for the decline in purchasing power following the removal of preferential exchange rates for importing essential goods. Under this plan, low-income and middle-income individuals are to receive 10 million rials per month, an amount equivalent to about seven dollars and 50 cents, roughly equal to a single day’s wage for a construction worker. Four months of these payments were deposited in a lump sum, and recipients were told they could spend one-quarter of the amount each month to purchase 11 essential goods, including rice, cooking oil, protein products, and dairy, at government-set prices from designated stores. Meanwhile, the prices of most of these goods on the open market have continued to rise, and some items have become scarce. Most participants in a poll conducted by the state-run Khabar Online news website said the subsidy is insufficient or ineffective. One reader wrote in the website’s comments section that this assistance covers at most half of the price increase for the 11 subsidized goods, noting that rising food costs naturally drive up the price of everything from biscuits to restaurant meals, for which no compensation has been provisioned.World Bank: Iran’s Economy Continues to ShrinkMany are also concerned that the government may resort to printing money to finance the plan, a move that could further intensify inflation. Official statistics show that by November 2025, the inflation rate had exceeded 50%.
The cost of the blackout
The nationwide internet shutdown imposed on January 8 and still ongoing has crippled hundreds of thousands of small and home-based businesses. From home-based food producers to online language and music instructors, the entire livelihoods of many people were destroyed overnight, and authorities have announced no clear timeline for restoring internet access. These businesses depend almost entirely on online platforms for advertising and sales. Many are small producers in cities and even villages who sell handicrafts, agricultural products, or homemade food directly to customers via Instagram. Even before the internet shutdown, extensive filtering had forced them to pay for VPN services, adding further pressure to their already fragile operations.Iran: Widespread Transfer of Detained Protesters to Ghezel Hesar Prison
Simultaneously with the crackdown on nationwide protests, hundreds of detained protesters have been transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison, a move that has heightened serious concerns about their fate and the likelihood of widespread rights violations. According to received information, security forces are holding detainees in the quarantine section of Unit two of Ghezel Hesar Prison, an isolated area deliberately separated from other prisoners to prevent any contact, observation, or independent reporting about their conditions.
This quarantine has effectively turned into a hidden detention center within the prison, where protesters are held without official registration of their names and without access to their most basic legal rights. This practice is a clear indication of security agencies’ efforts to have a “free hand” in extrajudicial actions and even the possible disappearance or killing of detainees.
A Case File of a Crime: How Did the Rasht Bazaar Massacre Happen?#IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahshttps://t.co/KDlFWw7L84
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 23, 2026
Ghezel Hesar Unit two Quarantine: Inhumane Overcrowding and Sleeping on the Floor in Winter Cold
According to received reports, about 500 detained protesters have been transferred to the quarantine section of Unit two of Ghezel Hesar Prison, despite the fact that this section has a capacity of only 180 beds. As a result, many prisoners have been forced to sleep on the floor in the winter cold, without blankets, mattresses, or any basic facilities. According to reports by the Iran Human Rights Society, sources close to the families of detainees say that conditions in this quarantine are extremely abnormal and degrading. Lack of sufficient space, shortage of hot water, absence of heating equipment, and inadequate medical services have seriously endangered the lives of many prisoners. Some detainees sustained injuries due to beatings during arrest or while being transferred to prison, yet no medical care has been provided to them. This situation has doubled concerns about an increase in silent deaths in detention centers.Transfer of Protesters to Evin and Greater Tehran Prisons Alongside Ghezel Hesar
In addition to Ghezel Hesar Prison, reports indicate that some of those detained during the protests have also been transferred to Evin Prison and Greater Tehran Prison. However, the main focus of transfers in recent days has been on Ghezel Hesar, a prison traditionally used to hold inmates convicted of serious crimes. Human rights observers believe that transferring protesters to such a prison is itself a sign of a policy of intimidation and collective punishment. This action, especially given that many detainees have not yet been formally charged, constitutes a clear violation of the principles of fair trial.Failure to Register Detainees’ Names: A Hidden Path Toward Enforced Disappearance
The identity information of a large number of protesters has deliberately not been entered into the judicial system, eliminating the possibility of legal follow-up, family contact, or even knowledge of their place of detention. According to observers, this practice follows exactly the same pattern seen in previous crackdowns, in which detainees are kept for days or weeks in a state of “enforced disappearance,” with no institution officially taking responsibility for their detention. This situation sharply increases the risk of detainees being eliminated, forced confessions being extracted, and physical and psychological torture being inflicted.‘Bullet Money’ for Releasing Bodies; Repression of Protests in Iran Continues #IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahshttps://t.co/GHYB4vIenF
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 21, 2026
Mass Arrests Amid Intensified Crackdown on Protests
The transfer of hundreds of protesters to Ghezel Hesar comes as waves of arrests continue across the country. Reports indicate that tens of thousands of people have been arrested during the recent protests, severely overfilling detention centers and prisons. The Iranian regime is using mass arrests in an effort to crush protests at their outset and to prevent people from returning to the streets by creating an atmosphere of fear.Families’ Concerns: Complete Lack of Information About Loved Ones’ Fate
Families of detainees are living under conditions in which they have no information about the location, physical condition, or legal status of their loved ones. Many families, after visiting prisons and prosecutors’ offices, have been met with vague answers or complete silence from authorities.US Increases Pressure on Iraq to Curb Influence of Iran’s Regime
Washington warned Baghdad that the presence of armed groups close to Tehran in Iraq’s future government could have severe economic consequences for the country.
Reuters news agency reported on Friday, January 23, citing four informed sources, that over the past two months the United States has warned senior Iraqi political officials that sanctions will be imposed on the Iraqi government if armed groups backed by the Iranian regime participate in the future government.
Accordingly, these sanctions are likely to target Iraq’s oil revenue flows, which are managed through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
According to three Iraqi officials and one informed source, these warnings were conveyed by Joshua Harris, the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, during repeated meetings and discussions with Iraqi officials and influential Shiite figures, including leaders of groups close to Tehran, through intermediaries.
Maximum pressure to contain Tehran in Baghdad
According to Reuters, this stance represents the strongest example of policies by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at reducing the influence of groups close to the Iranian regime in Iraq, a country that for years has balanced between its two main partners, the United States and Iran. In response to Reuters’ questions, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the United States supports Iraq’s sovereignty and sees no role for Iranian regime–backed militias that pursue destructive interests, fuel sectarian divisions, and spread terrorism in the region. The U.S. official did not directly elaborate on potential sanctions.Iraq: an economic lifeline for the Iranian regime
The Iranian regime views Iraq as a key element for sustaining its economic survival under sanctions and, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials, has in recent years used Baghdad’s banking system to circumvent financial restrictions. U.S. administrations in recent years have sanctioned more than 12 Iraqi banks but have so far not halted the transfer of dollars from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to the Central Bank of Iraq. Now, the threat to target this very source of revenue signals a shift in the level of pressure Washington is applying to prevent further Iranian regime influence in Iraq.Linking developments in Iraq and Venezuela to the Iranian people’s national uprising
The increase in U.S. pressure on Iraq comes as nationwide protests in Iran and the bloody suppression of protesters have heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. Trump said on Thursday, January 22, referring to the large-scale deployment of U.S. military assets and the movement of a “large fleet” toward the Middle East, that developments in Iran are being closely monitored. He also added that his previous warnings about possible military action played a role in halting executions in Iran, a claim rejected by Iranian regime officials.A look into the background of Ali Shademani, commander of the IRGC Central HeadquartersEarlier, on October 19, 2025, in an interview with Fox News, Trump described the starting point of his administration’s confrontation with the Iranian regime as the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force. He also once again defended the bombing of the Iranian regime’s nuclear facilities, calling it one of the most successful military operations by the U.S. armed forces, and said the destruction of nuclear capabilities ensured that the Iranian regime was no longer the “Middle East bully.”
UN Special Rapporteur: Iran’s Protest Crackdown Among the Most Brutal in Modern History
Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, warned during an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council about the wide scale of violence, arrests, and internet shutdowns, and called for urgent action by the international community to support protesters and hold Iranian regime officials accountable.
Mai Sato said on Friday, January 22, at the emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the nationwide protests began on December 28 following severe economic problems and turned into a broad-based movement across Iran, in which men and women from various ethnic and religious groups demanded “political change.”
A Case File of a Crime: How Did the Rasht Bazaar Massacre Happen?Emphasizing the right to peaceful protest, Sato said the difference between a democratic and an authoritarian government is that people are able to demand change peacefully, and that authorities respond to these demands instead of resorting to repression. She added that the situation worsened significantly from January 8, when Iranian regime authorities implemented an almost complete shutdown of telecommunications. According to Sato, this measure has prevented the international observation and documentation of human rights violations while simultaneously disrupting the coordination of peaceful protests. She said the communications blackout has caused deep suffering for families inside and outside Iran who are unable to ensure the safety of their loved ones.
Uncertainty over casualty figures and pressure on families
The UN Special Rapporteur said that due to the internet shutdown, the number of those killed remains disputed, allowing the authorities to control the flow of information. She added that officials have reported more than 3,000 deaths, including security forces, but some civil society estimates put the death toll at tens of thousands, figures that she said cannot be independently verified. Sato emphasized that this stark discrepancy shows how the internet shutdown has concealed the true scale of what has occurred.She said she has received reports indicating that some families have been pressured to falsely identify their deceased relatives as members of the Basij militia or were forced to pay money to receive the bodies, actions that she said combine grief with extortion.Iran Protests, January 2026
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 23, 2026
Iranian Regime Security forces brutally attack female protester#IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahs pic.twitter.com/5FqG5edg12
Use of lethal force and mass arrests
Referring to the Iranian regime’s official narrative, Sato said labeling protesters as terrorists, rioters, or mercenaries is the same pattern used during the 2022 protests, aimed at justifying violent repression. She added that the regime’s leader and the head of the government have called for harsh behavior, and the head of the judiciary has emphasized swift prosecutions without leniency. She said the use of lethal force is only permitted as a last resort to protect life, but that she has received numerous videos showing the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters, an action that she said is inconsistent with the legal principles of necessity and proportionality. The UN Special Rapporteur also reported the arrest of tens of thousands of people, including school students, without access to a lawyer or contact with their families, and said she has received reports indicating that some detainees have been pressured to make “forced televised confessions.”UN Human Rights Council Condemns Killing of Thousands of People in Iran
During a special session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution presented by more than 20 countries, describing the human rights situation in the Iranian regime as “deeply concerning” and strongly condemning the violent suppression of recent nationwide protests.
The resolution, adopted on Friday, January 23, with 25 votes in favor and seven votes against, extended the mandate of the UN fact-finding mission for two years and the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for one additional year.
Focusing specifically on the nationwide protests, the resolution reports the killing of thousands of peaceful protesters, including women and children, the injury of large numbers of citizens, and the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of thousands during these protests. More than 50% of the council’s members supported the resolution. As a result, this represents one of the highest levels of support a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran has ever received in the history of the UN Human Rights Council. The only time support for such a resolution was higher dates back to 2013.The @UN_HRC’s adoption of a resolution by a clear majority condemning the clerical regime’s brutal suppression of the Iranian people’s protests—alongside strong statements by country representatives and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran—has exposed a clear truth:… pic.twitter.com/diRceMrbbm
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 23, 2026
A Case File of Crime in Isfahan During Iran’s Nationwide ProtestsMai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, announced on January 22 that the number of people killed in the nationwide protests may exceed 20 thousand.
Unprecedented repression and allegations of extrajudicial killings
Expressing deep concern over the unprecedented scale of repression, the Human Rights Council stated that Iranian regime security forces used lethal and excessive force against protesters. The resolution explicitly refers to reports of extrajudicial killings of protesters and describes these actions as clear violations of international human rights law. Widespread arrests, enforced disappearances, detention in complete incommunicado conditions, and the use of torture and inhuman treatment were also cited as serious human rights violations, which the Human Rights Council called for to be halted immediately. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch previously stated that Iranian regime security agents, in their efforts to suppress the recent protests, directly targeted protesters’ heads and upper bodies using rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets.Internet shutdown and obstruction of human rights documentation
The resolution condemned the nationwide and prolonged internet shutdown imposed in Iran since January 9 as a measure that violates international human rights law. The council called for the immediate, full, and unrestricted restoration of internet access across Iran, emphasizing that the government’s action was intended to prevent the documentation of human rights violations and restrict citizens’ access to information. NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring organization, warned on January 23 that the Iranian regime is attempting to create “fake traffic” to give the impression that internet access in Iran is returning to normal.Mashhad Uprising: Field Reports Reveal Escalating Protests and Deadly Crackdown #IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahshttps://t.co/X0JTNrsSqF via @irannewsupdate1
— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) January 24, 2026
Concern over a widespread wave of executions
The UN Human Rights Council also expressed concern over the alarming increase in executions in Iran in 2025 and warned that the death penalty has been applied to individuals whose alleged crimes do not fall under the category of “the most serious crimes.” The resolution described the risk of using the death penalty against recently detained protesters as “very serious.”Emphasis on fundamental rights and the right to peaceful protest
The resolution emphasized the inalienable rights of citizens, including the right to life, liberty, personal security, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of thought and religion, even in the online sphere. The resolution stated that all individuals must be able to express their demands through peaceful protests.Call for accountability and an end to impunity
The Human Rights Council stressed the need to hold perpetrators of serious human rights violations accountable and to end systematic impunity in Iran. The body reminded that the Iranian regime is obligated to conduct prompt, independent, transparent, and impartial investigations into all reports of human rights violations.Extension of the mandates of the fact-finding mission and the Special Rapporteur
One of the most important parts of the resolution is the extension of the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran for another two years. The mission is tasked with conducting urgent investigations into recent and ongoing human rights violations related to the nationwide protests and submitting its reports to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, including for possible use in future judicial proceedings. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran was also extended for one additional year to continue monitoring human rights conditions and assessing the implementation of previous recommendations.A Case File of Crime in Isfahan During Iran’s Nationwide Protests
Three eyewitnesses have revealed an unprecedented and bloody crackdown in several cities of Isfahan Province, a repression that, according to them, has made these cities resemble war-torn areas.
These residents of Isfahan Province described what happened as a “large-scale massacre of Lur protesters” and said that the cities of Yazdanshahr, Fooladshahr, Shahinshahr, and Baharestan have effectively turned into ruins resembling Iranian cities devastated after war.
According to these witnesses, the repression was not limited to Isfahan Province, and cities such as Lordegan, Farsan, Junqan, Haftshajan, and Bazoft in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, as well as Izeh in Khuzestan Province, were also scenes of the massacre of protesters. These areas were among the first places to join the new wave of protests.
One eyewitness from Yazdanshahr says the marks of gunfire are clearly visible on the city’s walls and buildings: “The walls are riddled with holes, windows are shattered, banks and government buildings have been burned. Yazdanshahr now looks like Khorramshahr after its liberation.”
Iran: Three Days of Life Among Piled-Up Corpses in KahrizakHe adds that the intensity of the crackdown on Friday, January 9, was so extreme that “on Saturday morning, there was a corpse behind almost every car.” According to him, a relative who works in municipal sanitation said that municipal workers were overwhelmed and unable to collect the bodies.
Spraying Gunfire at Innocent People
This witness reported that protesters were sprayed with automatic gunfire and said that agents showed no mercy even to onlookers on rooftops, passersby, or shopkeepers. He also spoke of several members of some families being killed. Yazdanshahr had seen a large presence of protesters since December 22, 2025. After widespread arrests that included at least 23 youths and teenagers under 24 years old, families warned that they would take to the streets if their children were not released. However, following the bloody crackdown, news from the city was effectively cut off. The second eyewitness from Baharestan says that the number of those killed in the city was between 300 and 350 people, most of them from the local Bakhtiari minority. He described the level of violence by security forces as “unimaginable” and added that the city’s gas stations were burned and put out of service after the clashes, forcing residents to leave the city to obtain fuel. Regarding Shahinshahr, he says the protesters were “completely unarmed,” while armed forces attacked people with military-grade weapons. According to this witness, agents even fired execution-style shots at the wounded, and at least 600 people were killed in the city. This resident recounts that he went to a warehouse in “Bagh-e Rezvan” in Isfahan to identify the bodies of relatives and witnessed scenes that, in his words, made “Kahrizak look like nothing in comparison.” He says the bodies were piled on top of one another, and families had to move corpses one by one to identify them. Many victims were unrecognizable due to the severity of blows and gunshots to the face, and a large number of those killed were reportedly teenagers between 10 and 16 years old.‘Bullet Money’ for Releasing Bodies; Repression of Protests in Iran Continues #IranProtests #IranRevolution #FreeIran2026 #No2ShahNo2Mullahshttps://t.co/GHYB4vIenF
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 21, 2026
Martial Law in Fooladshahr
The third eyewitness, who lives in Fooladshahr, speaks of an atmosphere of extreme fear and terror: “After three or four in the afternoon, no one dares to go outside, even to buy medicine.” According to him, plainclothes forces armed with heavy weapons seal off different parts of the city before nightfall and have created conditions in which no one dares even to protest water and power outages or high prices. He also reported skyrocketing prices and said that complete chaos prevails in the market while people have no purchasing power. This eyewitness also spoke of the widespread confiscation of satellite dishes and the complete shutdown of the internet and telephone services, saying the aim is to fully isolate the population and prevent access to information. Not all figures and information in this report can be confirmed, as sufficient sources for independent verification are unavailable due to the internet shutdown. However, there is no doubt that the crimes committed across these cities are far greater than what is currently imagined.Iran: Three Days of Life Among Piled-Up Corpses in Kahrizak
According to a report published by the Iran Human Rights Center, a family searched for their child for three consecutive days during the nationwide protests; a young man who had left home to participate in the demonstrations and never returned. In a state of complete uncertainty, the family first searched various hospitals, then went to Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran’s main cemetery, and eventually their search led them to Kahrizak, a site where horrifying images of large numbers of slain protesters’ bodies had simultaneously circulated widely on social media and in some media outlets.
In Kahrizak, the family was forced to search for any sign of their child among lifeless bodies; an environment where hope and terror were painfully intertwined. Finally, contrary to all expectations and fears, they found their son alive. According to this account, he had been severely wounded by a gunshot and, for three full days without water or food, had remained motionless inside a plastic body bag intended for the dead, out of fear that agents would fire a final, execution-style shot.
A Case File of a Crime: How Did the Rasht Bazaar Massacre Happen?According to the same report, the family ultimately managed to remove him from that condition and transfer him to a hospital for treatment. This account, despite its profound bitterness, presents a rare image of survival in the heart of death and at the same time exposes the shocking conditions governing the crackdown on protests in Iran; from the treatment of the wounded to the heavy pressures imposed on families to locate their loved ones and gain access to medical care. These are families who, during the days of protests, were left wandering between hospitals, morgues, and security centers. It should be noted that due to the shutdown and severe restrictions on the internet in Iran, independent verification of this account is currently not possible.
A Case File of a Crime: How Did the Rasht Bazaar Massacre Happen?
Following nationwide protests against Iran’s regime, which began on December 28, 2025, the Iranian regime’s security forces carried out a horrific crime. Numerous reports indicate that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Quds Force, and fighters from Hashd al-Shaabi, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, were the main perpetrators of this crime. Field reports, testimonies from doctors, and human rights organizations point to the deliberate killing of thousands of protesters and young people through the lethal use of force, the establishment of summary field courts, mass arrests, assaults on medical centers, and a nationwide internet shutdown.
How Did the Rasht Bazaar Massacre Happen?
Images released from the city of Rasht depict one of the most horrifying scenes of the nationwide crackdown in January 2026; scenes in which piles of abandoned shoes scattered on the ground have become a silent symbol of an organized massacre.An Iranian Holocaust in Rasht
During the protests, the Iranian regime’s security forces set fire to Rasht’s crowded and historic bazaar, which was filled with protesting civilians. Flames and thick smoke trapped people inside the bazaar and blocked the exits. Under these conditions, those who tried to escape to save their lives were directly shot at. Many victims either died from suffocation and burns or were killed by gunfire while attempting to flee. Videos released from the scene show the charred remains of the bazaar: blackened walls, partially burned shops, and ground covered in ash. These images are clear evidence of a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians and a blatant example of a crime against humanity. Reactions to this tragedy have spread beyond Iran’s borders. Suren Edgar, vice president of the Australian-Iranian Community Alliance, wrote on X: “These shoes in Rasht are not art. They belonged to people trapped after regime forces set the historic bazaar on fire and shot those trying to escape.”These shoes in Rasht are not art.
— Suren Edgar (@suren_ed) January 19, 2026
They belonged to people trapped after regime forces set the historic bazaar on fire and shot those trying to escape.
The imagery is unmistakable — an Iranian Holocaust unfolding in real time.
Never forget.#RashtBazaarMassacre#Holocaust… pic.twitter.com/i9yc0cbn64
