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‘Bullet Money’ for Releasing Bodies; Repression of Protests in Iran Continues

Esmaeil Mohades
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‘Bullet Money’ for Releasing Bodies; Repression of Protests in Iran Continues

As the repression of protests continues, reports indicate that large sums of money are being demanded from the families of victims in order to release the bodies of their loved ones—an action observers describe as psychological torture, a clear violation of human rights, and a continuation of crimes against humanity.

While the suppression of protests has reached a bloody stage with direct gunfire at civilians, new accounts show that the Iranian regime continues to harass families even after killing protesters. According to field reports, security and judicial agents have conditioned the release of victims’ bodies on the payment of sums demanded as “bullet money,” an action that observers assess as psychological torture of families, a gross violation of human rights, and part of crimes against humanity in the repression of protests.

Argentina Officially Designates Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Terrorist Organization

On January eight alone, 70 bodies of those killed in the protests were transferred to a hospital in Rasht, a city in northern Iran, and another 40 bodies to a hospital in eastern Tehran. Witnesses say security agents demanded 7 billion rials, approximately 5,000 dollars, from families under the pretext of “bullet money” to release the bodies.

According to these reports, the morgue of Poursina Hospital in Rasht lacked sufficient capacity, and agents demanded this heavy sum from families in exchange for releasing the victims’ bodies.

According to informed sources, judicial and security officials tell families that they must pay for every bullet used to kill their loved ones.

The demanded amounts vary by case, ranging from 700 million rials to 2.5 billion rials per bullet. At the current exchange rate, these figures are estimated at approximately 480 to 1,720 dollars.

At a time when the average monthly income of a worker is less than 100 dollars, paying such sums is practically impossible for many families.

The suffering of families who cannot afford to pay

Reports show that families unable to pay these exorbitant sums face additional pressure. In some cases, the bodies of those killed are not returned to their families, and the location where they are being held is not disclosed.

One family searched for three full days for any trace of their loved one until they were finally told that the body was in Kahrizak, a detention and burial area notorious for abuses. Because the family could not pay the “bullet money” to retrieve the body, they were forced to accept that their brother was a member of the Basij, a paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In Mahabad, a city in western Iran, it has also been reported that the bodies of two protest victims have not yet been returned to their families because they cannot afford to pay. It is said that 2.5 billion rials per bullet were demanded, and families were pressured to register their children with the state-run Martyrs Foundation.

Witness accounts of the release of Golaleh Mahmoudi Azar’s body

According to an eyewitness at the memorial ceremony for Gelaleh Mahmoudi Azar at her family home, her body was released to the family in exchange for the payment of 7 billion rials, or 5,000 dollars.

According to the witness, security forces and the IRGC buried Golaleh’s body in the same black bag and allowed the family only three minutes to see her face.

The family was not allowed to wash the body, shroud and bury it, publish funeral notices, or hold mourning ceremonies. IRGC forces and special police units were stationed with vehicles and weapons in front of the family home, and several people have reportedly been arrested during the ceremony.

One of Golaleh Mahmoudi Azar’s relatives said at the memorial ceremony that 2.5 billion rials were demanded for each bullet.

Repression of protests through economic means

The demand for “bullet money” from families is a continuation of the same policy of suppressing protests through various means. At this stage, after killing protesters, economic and psychological pressure is imposed on families to force them into silence.

This action constitutes a form of psychological torture that places families in inhuman conditions—conditions in which they must either pay to receive the body of their loved one or be deprived of the right to mourn.

Iranian Regime Official Confirms Killings at Basij and SSF Sites

Mehdi Hosseini
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Iranian Regime Official Confirms Killings at Basij and SSF Sites

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian regime’s parliament, confirmed the shooting of people and their killing in front of Basij bases and law enforcement centers during Iran’s nationwide protests.

On Monday, January 19, Azizi said at a press conference, referring to the killing of protesters in Iran: “Some of these individuals were innocent and had no role. Some others were confronted and dealt with in front of military and law enforcement headquarters and Basij bases when they wanted to attack these locations.”

He acknowledged that thousands of people were killed during the nationwide protests, while adding that announcing the exact number of those killed by the Iranian regime’s security institutions “requires review and analysis.”

Iran’s Regime Seeking to Turn Wikipedia Into Part of Its Propaganda Apparatus

Azizi described the “figures reported by foreign media” regarding the number of those killed as “completely false” and added: “The numbers are much lower than what foreign media report.”

The Sunday Times newspaper reported on January 17 that during the nationwide protests of the Iranian people in January 2026, at least 16,500 to 18,000 protesters were killed and between 330,000 and 360,000 others were injured.

“Restoring the internet depends on security conditions”

Azizi went on to address the Iranian regime’s move to impose a nationwide internet shutdown and said that if “security conditions become suitable,” the Supreme National Security Council and the National Security Council will decide on the internet situation within “the next few days.”

Repeating the positions of other Iranian regime officials, the head of the parliament’s National Security Commission called protesting citizens “rioters” and added that the internet shutdown by the Islamic Republic was carried out with the aim of “managing riots.”

The Iranian Regime cut off the internet across Iran shortly after the start of the protests on the evening of January 8.

Since then, the Iranian people’s connection with the outside world has been severely limited, but even the few accounts, images, and videos that have been released point to the horrific scale of the systematic killing of citizens.

NetBlocks, an independent internet monitoring organization, said on January 19, referring to the passage of 12 days since the internet shutdown in Iran, that the level of nationwide internet connectivity remains minimal.

“Trump is unstable and delusional”

The head of the parliament’s National Security Commission went on to describe Donald Trump, the president of the United States, as “unstable” and “delusional,” saying that his remarks about the Iranian people’s protests were “derived from narcissism.”

Azizi attributed the widespread killing of protesters to the United States and Israel and added that these two countries were seeking “manufactured deaths” in the protests to achieve their “sinister goals.”

He threatened that the regime would “take revenge for the blood of the martyrs from the enemies.”

On January 17, Trump described Ali Khamenei, Tehran’s dictator, as “a sick man” and said it is time to seek new leadership in Iran.

Iran’s Regime Seeking to Turn Wikipedia Into Part of Its Propaganda Apparatus

Sia Rajabi
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Iran’s Regime Seeking to Turn Wikipedia Into Part of Its Propaganda Apparatus

A website that monitors Wikipedia content wrote that at the same time that thousands of Iranian citizens have been killed by security forces in recent days, another battle is underway in the digital sphere, with the Iranian regime trying to turn Wikipedia into part of its propaganda machinery.

The website “NPOV,” a platform focused on monitoring neutrality on Wikipedia, noted that at the same time as protesters are being killed in Iran, “pro-regime editors are working to control how these events, and Iranian history more broadly, are recorded on Wikipedia.” It wrote: “The dual strategy is deliberate. Kinetic violence silences dissent at home. Digital propaganda shapes the narrative abroad.”

According to the report, this dual strategy constitutes what Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran’s regime, calls “vindication jihad”; a soft war in the information sphere designed to rewrite reality itself.

Iranian Authorities Sentence Soldier to Death for Refusing to Fire at Protesters

According to the website, an investigation into Wikipedia editing patterns indicates a coordinated, multi-year campaign to erase the Iranian regime’s human rights record.

According to this report, based on last year’s investigation by The Times newspaper, entries have been systematically edited to downplay the crimes of the Iranian regime. Key details about the mass executions of 1988 were removed, including that the victims included women and children who were killed extrajudicially and that current senior officials were involved in the so-called death commissions. In the summer of 1988, the Iranian regime executed 30,000 political prisoners, mainly members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), over the course of a few weeks.

According to the report, information related to the life sentence of Hamid Nouri, an Iranian regime judicial official, handed down about four years ago in Sweden on charges of “war crimes” and “murder,” has disappeared. In addition, references to the expulsion of two Iranian regime diplomats from Albania about six years ago, due to their involvement in a bombing plot against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, have been removed.

According to NPOV, this issue matters beyond Wikipedia; when artificial intelligence systems are asked about Iranian leaders or events, they often rely on these manipulated articles. This propaganda does not remain confined but flows into a broader information stream that millions of people depend on daily.

The website, referring to “Memory Manipulation” through “abrasive deletion” on Wikipedia, wrote that small edits are made over time that gradually eliminate entire sections.

The report points, among other things, to the removal of entire paragraphs from the page on nationwide protests in Iran by “pro-regime editors,” including a prolific editor with the username “Mhhossein.”

The report refers to two active pro-regime editors on Wikipedia:
“Two editors exemplify the scope of pro-Iran editing: Mhhossein and Iskandar323.”

Mhhossein functions as a historical gatekeeper. He has edited the Ali Khamenei page 217 times—more than any other user—removing information about Iran’s nuclear program and protests.
“Mhhossein functions as a historical gatekeeper. He has edited the Ali Khamenei page 217 times—more than any other user—removing information about Iran’s nuclear program and protests.”

NPOV added: He is the top contributor on Assassinations of Iranian Nuclear Scientists, 1981 Iranian PM’s office bombing, and Ali Khamenei’s fatwa against nuclear weapons.

Accordingly, Mhhossein has approved state media sources regarding nationwide protests in Iran and removed information from opposition media outlets.

Iskandar323 operates as a battleground editor focused on active conflicts alongside his edits on past events, editing on the 1988 mass executions as recently as 18 January.
Regarding the activities of Iskandar323, including the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners, the website wrote: “Iskandar323 operates as a battleground editor focused on active conflicts alongside his edits on past events, editing on the 1988 mass executions as recently as 18 January.”

The Iranian regime’s pressure campaign on Wikipedia

“NPOV” wrote about the nationwide protests of January 2026 that since the start of the protests, “Since protests erupted in December 2025, Wikipedia’s 2025–2026 Iranian Protests page has drawn from over 400 sources.”

Regarding the Iranian regime’s “authoritarian information warfare” surrounding the nationwide protests, “NPOV” wrote:
“There’s violence in the streets to silence dissent in real time. Then come the internet blackouts, preventing real-time documentation and cutting off the flow of evidence to the outside world. And once the immediate crisis fades from international attention—once bodies are quietly buried and the news cycle moves on—the propaganda operation moves in to systematically rewrite what happened.”

The website emphasized that the Iranian regime not only kills protesters but also erases the evidence that shows they ever existed.

According to the report, Wikipedia’s open-editing model, an encyclopedia trusted by millions of people, has been turned into part of the regime’s propaganda apparatus.

Iranian Authorities Sentence Soldier to Death for Refusing to Fire at Protesters

Hoshang Amiri
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Iranian Authorities Sentence Soldier to Death for Refusing to Fire at Protesters

Javid Khales, a young man who refused orders to fire on people during the nationwide protests of January 2026, has been sentenced to death.

As protests continue and the repression of the population intensifies, news of the death sentence issued against Javid Khales, a young soldier who refused to fire at protesters, has increased concerns about a new wave of judicial massacres. This sentence has been issued at a time when officials of the judiciary have openly spoken about summary trials and the rapid implementation of death sentences against those arrested in the protests.

The arrest of a soldier for disobeying orders to fire on people

According to received information, Javid Khales is a young soldier who, during the nationwide protests of January, was arrested for refusing orders to fire at protesters and was transferred to Isfahan Prison.

‘No To Executions Tuesdays’ Campaign Continues in Iran’s Prisons

This arrest took place while security forces in many cities directly fired at protesters using military weapons, and reports indicate that thousands of people were killed in the streets. Javid Khales’s refusal to shoot was not a crime, but a humane act in the face of the massacre of the people.

Issuance of the death sentence amid a media blackout

As of the time of this report, no precise information is available about the details of the case, the judicial process, the nature of the formal charges, or his current condition.

The lack of transparency in the case of this young soldier has intensified concerns about the issuance of hasty and extrajudicial sentences. The media silence surrounding such cases is part of a policy of concealing realities and preventing public reaction.

Protests, street massacres, and a new wave of judicial repression

This conviction is being announced as the nationwide protests of January were met with deadly repression and mass arrests.

The number of those killed in the protests reaches into the thousands, and what has been recorded so far is only a drop in the ocean of reality. At the same time, tens of thousands of people have been arrested during these protests, and many of them are being held without access to lawyers or fair trials.

Threats of summary trials and rapid executions

Officials of the judiciary of the Iranian regime have openly spoken of a “decisive, deterrent, and swift” response toward those arrested in the protests. The judiciary’s spokesperson and the Tehran prosecutor have separately emphasized that protesters’ cases must lead to verdicts in the shortest possible time.

In practice, the term “decisive and swift” means the start of summary trials and the implementation of death sentences outside legal procedures. Experience from previous years has shown that such promises often lead to hasty and extrajudicial rulings. This approach paves the way for another judicial massacre under the cover of protests and places the lives of dozens of detainees in immediate danger.

Concern over the expansion of executions amid protests

Observers say that the death sentence against Javid Khaless is part of a broader pattern aimed at instilling fear among military forces and those arrested in the protests. This pattern is reinforced by daily threats of execution against detainees and promises of rapid trials.

At a time when protests continue and street repression is being pursued with intensity, the risk of an increase in the number of death sentences is serious. Any delay in domestic and international responses could lead to the repetition of judicial massacres.

‘No To Executions Tuesdays’ Campaign Continues in Iran’s Prisons

Sia Rajabi
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‘No To Executions Tuesdays’ Campaign Continues in Iran’s Prisons

Simultaneously with the intensification of the crackdown on protests, internet shutdowns, and an increase in arrests, the nationwide “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has entered a new phase of expansion and social impact in its 104th week. This campaign, which has been carried out regularly and weekly for nearly two years, has now, through a clear connection with street protests, become one of the prominent symbols of public opposition to the death penalty. Due to the internet shutdown, the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign has been unable to issue its weekly statement, but prisoners’ hunger strikes continue in 56 prisons across the country.

Large-scale demonstration in Paris

The continuation of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign under internet shutdowns

According to field reports, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has continued alongside the suppression of protests and widespread internet shutdowns. Severe communication restrictions have not been able to prevent the continuation of this protest movement, and the cry of “No to executions” is still being heard from inside prisons and across society.

Human rights activists say the internet shutdown was carried out to prevent coverage of the crackdown and to silence the voice of protest, but the experience of recent weeks has shown that this policy has failed to sever the connection between prisons and the streets.

The clear link between the campaign and street protests

In recent weeks, the nationwide “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, through its clear linkage with street protests, has become one of the prominent symbols of public opposition to the death penalty. Protesters in the streets have raised their demands in line with the same call represented by this campaign: opposition to executions and protest against policies that target human lives.

The suppression of protests and mass arrests of protesters

At the same time as this linkage has expanded, the crackdown on protests has intensified. Reports indicate widespread arrests of protesters in various cities. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested during the protests, and many of them remain in detention.

Human rights sources have stated that some of those arrested during the protests are facing serious charges, and a number of them are under death sentences. This situation has heightened serious concerns about a new wave of executions.

The intensification of death sentences as a tool of political repression

The increased pace of issuing and carrying out death sentences has paved the way for the expansion of the link between street protests and the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign.

Prisoners’ resistance against the threat of execution

While some of those arrested during the protests are under death sentences, prisoners continue to participate in the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. Reports show that despite security pressure, severe restrictions, and repeated threats, this protest movement has not stopped inside prisons.

Concern over a new wave of executions

As the crackdown on protests and the arrest of protesters intensifies, concerns about a new wave of executions have grown. Human rights activists have warned that the use of the death penalty against those arrested in the protests could lead to a judicial massacre.

They stress that any delay in domestic and international response places the lives of dozens of people at immediate risk.

“No to executions” as a national demand

The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has now shown that opposition to the death penalty is no longer limited to prisons or human rights activists, but has become a public demand at the heart of the protests.

The continuation of this protest movement indicates that society, even under conditions of internet shutdowns and severe repression, has not retreated from its demand for the abolition of the death penalty.

Accounts by Survivors of Street Killings in Iran of Death, Torture, and Enforced Disappearance

Esmaeil Mohades
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Accounts by Survivors of Street Killings in Iran of Death, Torture, and Enforced Disappearance

Silent accounts: testimonies of protesters emerging from the heart of repression that have been widely published in foreign media, including Euronews, Voice of America, The Sunday Times, and other international outlets. These reports, relying on testimonies from protesters and families of victims, present a human and shocking picture of the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran. These are accounts that, amid internet blackouts and severe censorship, were smuggled out of the country at the risk of death.

Protesters’ Testimonies: Shoot-to-Kill

One young protester who was wounded during the demonstrations told sources outside the country that security forces fired without warning. He emphasized that bullets were aimed at the head and chest. The protester said the forces were not trying to disperse the crowd but intended to kill.

Doctors who secretly treated the wounded confirmed in protesters’ testimonies that the injuries were caused by military-grade weapons. According to them, the severity of the wounds is inconsistent with crowd-control weapons.

Families Who Were Denied Even the Right to Mourn

In another part of international media reports, families of victims spoke about security pressures after their children were killed. The mother of one of those killed said security agents handed over her child’s body at night. They imposed the condition that the burial ceremony be held without public attendance.

According to these protesters’ testimonies, many families were forced to sign written pledges. These pledges prohibited them from speaking to the media. In some cases, families were even barred from stating the cause of death.

Enforced Disappearance and Total Lack of Information

One of the most shocking parts of protesters’ testimonies concerns the enforced disappearance of detainees. Families reported that after their children were arrested, they had no information about their fate for weeks and even months. Repeated visits to prisons and prosecutors’ offices yielded no results. Some testimonies state that security agents denied the very existence of the detainees. This situation has left families in a state of suspension and constant fear.

Internet Blackouts; A Tool to Conceal Crimes

Widespread internet shutdowns played a major role in concealing these testimonies. Protesters’ communication with the outside world dropped to nearly zero. Many accounts were sent only through brief calls and limited communication tools.

According to these media reports, this digital blackout caused the true scale of killings and arrests to remain hidden from global public opinion. Protesters’ testimonies were published when many of the victims were no longer alive.

A Generation That Was Targeted

The majority of protesters’ testimonies belong to young people under 30. Families said their children had no weapons and were present in the streets only chanting slogans.

These testimonies show that the repression was neither random nor limited. The accounts point to a clear pattern: the direct targeting of the young generation. The testimonies of protesters and families of victims expose a reality that the Iranian regime has tried to conceal for years. These accounts show that repression in Iran is not merely a security response, but an organized project aimed at silencing an entire generation.

Twenty-Third Day of Protests in Iran; Regime Admits to Heavy Losses from the January Uprising

Jubin Katiraie
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Twenty-Third Day of Protests in Iran; Regime Admits to Heavy Losses from the January Uprising

Incendiary Attack on District Governor’s Office in Khoy and Assault on Police Station in Eslamshahr

On the twenty-third day of the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people, on Monday, January 19, various cities across the country witnessed the continuation of protests and street clashes between the public and the regime’s repressive forces.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) announced in its statement number 52 the expansion of clashes and hit-and-run confrontations between protesting youth and repressive forces in several cities across the country. This statement focuses on events on Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, and explains the field and political dimensions of these developments.

According to this report, over these two days Tehran and several other cities, including Khoy, Eslamshahr, Kermanshah, and Sarpol-e Zahab, became scenes of widespread clashes between rebellious youth and regime repressive forces. In Tehran, various areas such as Valiasr Street, Saadat Abad, Salehiyeh, Tehranpars, and Ekbatan Township witnessed street battles. During these clashes, protesters voiced their opposition to the ruling establishment by chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”

In the city of Khoy, intense street battles were reported on Saturday night. In response to indiscriminate gunfire by repressive forces, rebellious youth set fire to the district governor’s office and a Basij center. The Basij is a paramilitary force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. During these clashes, slogans such as “I will kill, I will kill the one who killed my brother; I will kill, I will kill whoever killed my sister” and “Until a cleric is shrouded, this homeland will not be a homeland” were chanted. The previous night, two other Basij centers in Khoy had also been set ablaze during confrontations with the city’s youth.

Attack on a Police Station in Eslamshahr

In Eslamshahr as well, protesting youth clashed with special riot units and stormed the police station known as Qaemieh, disarming agents who were firing at the people. These events indicate an escalation in direct confrontation between protesters and law enforcement and security forces.

In Kermanshah province, reports indicate widespread clashes in several locations. In the village of “Aineh Vand,” near Sarpol-e Zahab, local residents and courageous youth from the Qalkhani tribe managed to break the encirclement imposed by regime forces. In an armed confrontation, while repelling agents who had entered the area to arrest wounded protesters, part of the regime’s forces were disarmed. Clashes also occurred in Taq-e Bostan between youth and repressive forces, and in the city of Kermanshah, a Basij member named Morteza Hashmati was killed during confrontations with the public.

On Monday, January 19, the popular uprising and protests entered their twenty-third day. This comes as the Iranian regime and its repressive apparatus, by imposing an undeclared form of martial law and a complete internet shutdown, are attempting to conceal the popular uprising and the dimensions of the regime’s horrific crimes.

Heavy Losses Inflicted by the People’s Uprising on the Repressive Apparatus

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Security Commission of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), admitted to part of the extensive damage inflicted on the regime during the January uprising and reported serious blows.

According to him, during this uprising more than 2,200 motorcycles and vehicles belonging to the regime’s law enforcement forces were set on fire.

Azizi also stated that 250 Basij bases in schools and 90 regime seminaries were targeted and destroyed. The Basij is a paramilitary force subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The head of the Majlis Security Commission added that in these events, 3,709 members of the law enforcement forces, the Basij, and the IRGC were seriously injured figures that demonstrate the depth of the blow dealt by the uprising to the regime’s repressive structures.

LCI France Exposes the “Commercialization of the Bodies of the Killed” in Iran

The French news network LCI, in a report broadcast on Friday, January 16, quoted Iranian witnesses as saying that in Iran “an organized system for the commercialization of the bodies of those killed” has taken shape.

According to this report, families are forced to pay sums to retrieve the bodies of those killed, calculated based on the number of bullets that struck the body. Witnesses said that up to 4 billion rials were demanded for each bullet (approximately 2,858 dollars).

LCI, referring to joint investigations by Iranian media with the participation of TF1 and France 24, reported the existence of a profiteering structure that exploits the suffering of families.

In one account, a father in Tehran found his daughter’s body in a morgue after two days of searching and was confronted with a financial demand based on the number of bullets to retrieve it. LCI described this process as “extremely ruthless.”

Mike Pence: Change in Iran Will Transform the Middle East and the World

Mike Pence, the former vice president of the United States, said in an interview with CNN that the Iranian regime is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

He said that in addition to brutally suppressing the people of Iran, the regime exports terrorism across the region and endangers the lives of American citizens and those of other countries in the Middle East and around the world.

Pence emphasized that change in Iran would benefit the United States and its allies, adding that if Tehran’s rulers continue their reign of terror against the Iranian people, all options are on the table.

He stressed that change in Iran would not be limited to the country itself, but could transform the Middle East and even global security and political dynamics.

Davos Meeting Criticized for Inviting Iranian Regime FM Abbas Araghchi

Sia Rajabi
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Davos Meeting Criticized for Inviting Iranian Regime FM Abbas Araghchi

Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican senator from the United States, published a message on the social media platform X criticizing the invitation of Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran’s regime, to the World Economic Forum meeting in the Swiss city of Davos and addressed the organizers of the meeting, writing:
“What the hell are you thinking? I cannot think of a worse message to send to the protestors.”

This year’s Davos meeting is being held from Monday to Friday, January 19 to January 23. Fox News, a major U.S. cable news network, had previously reported that despite the horrific killing of protesters by Iran’s regime, officials of the World Economic Forum had invited Abbas Araghchi to attend the meeting.

Senator Graham, in his post, compared inviting the foreign minister of Iran’s regime to speak at the Davos forum at the present time to
“Inviting the Iranian Foreign Minister to speak now would be akin to inviting Hitler to a world event after Kristallnacht. This decision gives tone deaf a new meaning.”

Large-scale demonstration in Paris

On November nine, 1938, forces led by the Nazi Party in Germany attacked Jewish homes, shops, and synagogues in a number of cities in Germany and Austria, smashing windows and setting buildings on fire. This event is known in history as Kristallnacht, referring to the large amounts of shattered glass that covered the streets after Jewish property was destroyed.

Graham added: “European elites have lost their moral compass. This is the strongest sign yet of moral decay when it comes to people who enjoy freedom and abandoning those who are struggling for it.”

Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and the executive director of United Nations Watch, also published a message on X addressing Abbas Araghchi, writing:

The World Economic Forum has so far not responded to these protests. The invitation of Araghchi to Davos comes as the organizers of the Munich Security Conference withdrew their invitation to officials of Iran’s regime due to the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran.

“Deployment of Lebanese militias to Iran” to suppress protests

The German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday, January 18, citing the German News Agency, that over the past ten days movements have been observed involving Shiite militias leaving Lebanon. According to Spiegel, these individuals were mainly members of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, who traveled to Iraq under the cover of religious pilgrimage and then entered Iran to suppress protests.

Earlier, CNN, a major U.S. news network, had reported, citing a European military source and an Iraqi security source, that Iraqi militias had entered Iran in recent weeks to help Tehran suppress the latest nationwide protests. The informed Iraqi source told CNN that close to five thousand Iraqi militia forces entered Iran through a crossing in Maysan province and the Zarbatiyah border crossing in Wasit province in southern Iraq.

Fouad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, met on Sunday during his visit to Tehran with Massoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the regime’s parliament, Abbas Araghchi, the regime’s foreign minister, and Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran’s regime.

According to the state-run Tasnim News Agency, Pezeshkian emphasized the “strong and historical relations” between Iran and Iraq in his talks with Fouad Hussein and said: “Naturally, if we, the Islamic ummah, stand together and alongside one another, no power will be able to threaten us.”

Iraq’s foreign minister also noted that Iraqi officials are following the recent events in Iran “with special sensitivity and on a moment-by-moment basis,” saying: “The focus of all their contacts and communications with officials and leaders of other countries has been the security situation in the region centered around Iran.”

Large-scale demonstration in Paris

Mehdi Hosseini
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Large-scale demonstration in Paris

On Sunday, January 18, the protests and uprising of the Iranian people entered their twenty-second day. At the same time, global support for the Iranian people’s uprising continues.

As part of the wave of international support for the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people, a large-scale demonstration was held in Paris on Saturday, January 17, 2026. This protest gathering, which took place at the Panthéon square, became a scene for expressing solidarity with the courage and resilience of the Iranian people in the face of the ruling regime’s repression.

A wide range of political groups, labor unions, and human rights organizations took part in the demonstration. Participants, holding placards and chanting slogans such as “Neither Shah nor mullahs,” “Neither monarchy nor supreme leadership,” and “Long live freedom,” emphasized their opposition to all forms of dictatorship and their support for the Iranian people’s right to self-determination. These slogans reflected the protesters’ shared demand for freedom, democracy, and popular sovereignty in Iran.

According to reports, organizations and groups such as “Justice for Iran,” the “League for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran,” the “Women’s Alliance for Democracy,” the CGT labor union, the “French Human Rights League,” the “International Federation for Human Rights,” MRAP, “SOS Racisme,” “Russia Liberties,” as well as groups of activists in solidarity with Ukraine, were actively present at the gathering. The presence of this diverse array highlighted the linkage of human rights and democratic struggles at the international level and the convergence of demands against repression and human rights violations.

Speakers at the rally, referring to the bloody suppression of protests in Iran, called for accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations and for increased political and legal pressure by the international community against the Iranian regime. They also stressed the need for practical support by governments and international institutions for the Iranian people’s uprising and for recognizing the right to resist repression. This demonstration sent a clear message from Paris to the world: the uprising of the Iranian people is not alone, and their voice is being heard on the international stage.

Twenty-Second Day of the Protests; Horrifying Reports on the Number of Those Killed in the Uprising

Hoshang Amiri
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Twenty-Second Day of the Protests; Horrifying Reports on the Number of Those Killed in the Uprising

On Sunday, January 18, the uprising of the Iranian people entered its twenty-second day. While, following the deadly crimes of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, in the killing of thousands of protesters, the regime’s security forces are trying to extinguish protests across society, the regime remains incapable of restoring international internet access. Meanwhile, global support for the Iranian people’s uprising continues.

Two horrifying reports from Iran

Amid the continuation of nationwide protests in Iran, two reports published by the international media outlets “The Sunday Times,” a British newspaper, and “Reuters,” a global news agency, reveal unprecedented dimensions of human casualties resulting from the Iranian regime’s suppression of the protests—figures that seriously call the regime’s official narratives into question.

In a report published on January 18, The Sunday Times quoted doctors and medical sources as saying that at least 16,500 Iranian protesters have been killed by the Iranian regime’s repressive forces during the recent protests, and that about 330,000 others have been injured. According to the report, the bulk of the killings occurred over two days referred to as the “complete massacre,” namely Thursday, January 8, and Friday, January 9. The Sunday Times described this event as the most brutal suppression by the clerical regime in its 47 years of existence. The report also refers to images of large numbers of slain protesters’ bodies at the Kahrizak forensic medicine center, indicating the scale of this crime.

These figures stand in stark contrast to the official statements of Iranian regime officials. Abbas Araghchi, the regime’s foreign minister, had earlier claimed in an interview with Fox News, a U.S. television network, that “only a few hundred people” had been killed in the protests. However, according to U.S. media reports, Ali Khamenei in his Saturday, January 17 speech effectively confirmed that several thousand people had been killed. The Sunday Times also notes that the Iranian regime has a long record of killing protesters and that Khamenei has repeatedly personally ordered bloody crackdowns on protests.

Meanwhile, Reuters also reported on Sunday, January 18, quoting “an Iranian official in the region,” that government authorities have confirmed the deaths of at least 5,000 people. The official, who requested anonymity, said that the most intense clashes and highest casualties occurred in Kurdish-populated areas of northwestern Iran. However, he described the protesters as terrorists and armed rioters and blamed them for the deaths of “innocent citizens,” without providing evidence for this claim.

At the same time as the publication of these reports, Donald Trump, the president of the United States, described Ali Khamenei as a sick person on Saturday and said that Iran has become the worst place in the world to live due to weak leadership. This collection of reports further exposes the deep gap between the Iranian regime’s official narratives and the on-the-ground realities of the protests.

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