Recordings published on social media, cited by Bloomberg, despite the complete shutdown of the Internet in Iran, reveal dramatic scenes. They show crowds chanting anti-regime slogans and bodies lying in blood.
The rest of the article below the video:
In one of the recordings from the city of Fardis, located 50 kilometers from Tehran, at least seven bloody bodies were recorded in the building. A voice can be heard in the background talking about the ten victims of the shooting. However, the authenticity of these materials could not be confirmed by independent sources.
According to the United States Human Rights Activist Information Agency (HRANA), since the protests began on December 28, at least 65 people have been killed and 2,311 arrested. The demonstrations began in the country's capital, where traders protested against the currency crisis and deteriorating living conditions, and then spread to all of Iran.
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Human Rights Activists said 38 deaths were reported in the provinces of Chaharmahal, Bakhtiari, Ilam, Kermanshah and Fars. In turn, Time magazine, citing a Tehran doctor, reports at least 217 deaths, most of whom died from live ammunition.
Cyrus Reza Pahlavi's appeal and the authorities' reaction
Protests on Thursday and Friday, falling on the Iranian weekend, were a response to the appeal of Cyrus Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran, who calls from the United States to mobilize the opposition. Pahlavi, who positions himself as the leader of the anti-regime movement, called on demonstrators to continue protests on Saturday and Sunday. In his social media post he stated that the aim of the protests is not only to be present on the streets, but also to take over and hold city centers.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television tried to downplay the scale of the demonstrations, saying security forces managed to bring the situation under control on Friday. Authorities described the protests as “riots” caused by “armed terrorists” in Tehran and other cities.
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However, no official data on the number of deaths among protesters and security services has been provided. State media reported only about a dozen or so policemen and members of the Basij militia killed.
Violence and anti-regime slogans
Particularly brutal incidents occurred in Zahedan, a Sunni-majority city that has been a hotspot for years. The Norwegian Human Rights Organization Hengaw reported that security forces opened fire on protesters after Friday prayers, injuring several people.
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Videos from the protests include shouts of “Death to the dictator”, “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life for Iran” and “This is the year of blood; Seyyed Ali will be overthrown”, referring to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Demonstrators also chanted: “This is the last battle; Pahlavi returns,” and among the crowd were visible flags with the Lion and the Sun – Iran's former symbol, abolished after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
