VIDEO Iranian rapper, with tears in his eyes, after he managed to flee to Turkey: “He drowns people in blood”
Demonstration in Rome's Piazza della Repubblica, organized by the Italy-Iran Association, in solidarity with the Iranian people's protests against the Ayatollah's regime, on January 13, 2026. Illustrative image. PHOTO: Matteo Nardone / ipa-agency.net / IPA / Profimedia
“They drown people in blood, they shoot directly in the chest, they kill without mercy,” said Meraj Tehrani, a well-known Iranian rapper who documented the protests in Tehran on his online accounts.
The Iranian rapper fled to Turkey, where he asked for “foreign help” for his fellow citizens who remained at home, writes Sky News on Thursday.
At least 3,428 protesters have been killed so far in Iran, according to the latest tally by the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), which evokes “a minimal number” and also refers to more than 10,000 arrests.
“They are killing everyone. They are killing people's children in the streets,” Tehrani said with tears in his eyes in a video message posted on his social media accounts after he managed to flee from Iran to Turkey.
An Iranian music artist named Meraj Tehrani said he escaped to Turkey.
He described the horrific conditions Iranians are experiencing due to the harsh government crackdown against mass protests in the country. pic.twitter.com/xXZntoeAc5
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) January 14, 2026
Turkey announcement
Turkey, the only NATO member country with a land border with Iran, announced on Thursday that it opposes any military intervention in Iran, and that its priority is to avoid destabilizing the Islamic Republic, Reuters previously wrote.
Ankara's message came as Iran's leadership is still trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, and US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of the protesters.
Iran's NATO neighbor says it opposes any military intervention in support of protesters: “Wide-scale destabilization would be too much”
Trump is still weighing the US response to the situation in Iran, but signaled late Wednesday that he is less inclined to intervene.
Tehran has warned its neighbors, including Turkey, that it will strike US bases if Washington attacks.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey would continue its diplomatic initiatives to help resolve the issue and added that Ankara hoped Iran and the United States could find a solution to the conflict.
“We are against a military intervention against Iran. Iran must solve its own internal problems, which are genuine,” he said, adding that Turkey's priority was to avoid destabilization in Iran.
