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Vignettes of horror on Iran's streets were trickling past a state-imposed internet blackout, as eyewitnesses described to Iran International the widespread killing and blinding of protestors with live fire and the denial of medical care to survivors.
Street protests which burst forth on Dec. 28 citing economic grievances quickly morphed into calls for the downfall of the nearly 50-year-old theocracy.
Authorities deployed deadly force to largely quell the unrest in the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Accounts of the violence which unfolded on Iran's streets at its height on Jan. 8-10 were related to Iran International on Monday and shed light on killing which authorities have acknowledged claimed the lives of thousands but according to medics and government officials total at least 12,000, according to Iran International.
Karaj: wounded protestors shot in Taleghani Square
In Karaj, west of Tehran in north-central Iran, an eyewitness said security forces fired directly at protesters during demonstrations on Jan. 9 in Taleghani Square, killing and wounding a number of people.
The witness said forces deliberately shot dead some wounded protesters and blocked others from reaching hospitals.
Gorgan and Shahin Shahr: snipers on rooftops
In Gorgan, in northeastern Iran, an eyewitness said security forces fired at protesters from the rooftop of Panj Azar Hospital on Jan. 9, adding that a 15-year-old girl was directly targeted and killed.
Separate eyewitness accounts from Shahin Shahr, in Isfahan province in central Iran, said armed forces fired at protesters from the rooftops of public buildings, including a haberdashery bazaar, the education department building, the municipality and the Negarestan building on the nights of Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.
Qazvin: hospitals filled with bodies and wounded
In Qazvin, in northwest Iran, an eyewitness said more than 1,000 people were killed in the city over three nights of protests from Jan. 8 to Jan. 10.
The witness said hospitals were filled with bodies and wounded people within two hours of direct gunfire by security forces on the evening of Jan. 8, adding that the blood on the floors of some medical centers lapped up to exit doors.
Behbahan: eye injuries, machine gun deployment
At least 40 people, and possibly up to 50, suffered eye injuries, a medical worker in Behbahan, in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran, told Iran Iran International. Use of buckshot which has blinded protestors has been reported in previous waves of deadly violence.
The source said vehicles equipped with machine guns were stationed in the city and fired at people on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.
Hashtgerd: young child shot on sight
In Hashtgerd, west of Tehran in Alborz province, police fired on a family accompanied by a young child on Friday, Jan. 9, a local source told Iran International.
According to the source, a six- or seven-year-old child was seriously injured and suffered heavy bleeding after being hit in the leg by pellets.
The child’s mother said the family was not chanting slogans while leaving their home, but police opened fire as soon as they saw them, according to the source.
Shahroud: protestor shot through the heart
A 31-year-old protester identified as Matin Montazerzohur was killed after being shot by security forces on the evening of Jan. 8 during protests in the city of Shahroud, in northeastern Iran, local sources told Iran International.
Eyewitnesses said he had travelled from Gorgan to Shahroud with friends to take part in the protests and remained in contact with his family until around 8 p.m.
Hours later, his friends informed his family that he had been shot.
The source said the bullet struck him in the chest and ripped through his heart.
His body was returned to his family after four days, on Jan. 12, and transferred to Gorgan. He was buried the following day without a ceremony. Sources said he was self-employed, worked in bodybuilding and had planned to migrate to Turkey.
Isfahan: summonses and pressure on striking shopkeepers
In Isfahan, in central Iran, local sources told Iran International said the Revolutionary Guards intelligence unit summoned shopkeepers who joined strikes and blocked the bank accounts of some of them.
“Violence in Iran” ranked by a wide margin as the top concern among respondents in a poll published on the European Parliament’s official account on X.
As of Monday evening, the poll had recorded 34,270 votes, with 98.4% of participants selecting “violence in Iran” as the issue that interested them most.
By comparison, 1.3% chose Greenland’s integrity, while illegal AI deepfakes and medicine shortages received 0.2% and 0.1% respectively.
The poll is set to remain open for another 17 hours, according to the post.
As Iran endures a nationwide internet shutdown in the wake of the deadliest crackdown on protestors in decades, families abroad are using satellite television to try to reach loved ones cut off from the outside world.
A Telegram-based chatbot run by Iran International allows users to submit short messages that may be aired on television, defying the blackout.
The chatbot was launched in late December, shortly before protests spread across Iranian cities and was meant to collect photos, videos and testimonials from people inside Iran. Now the information is flowing in the other direction.
Before the shutdown, the network said it was receiving more than 10 messages a minute from users inside Iran, many of them sending videos and first-hand accounts of protests and arrests.
The tool was a key means of relaying events inside Iran to the outside world, as foreign media continue to face tight restrictions on reporting from the country and the internet shutdown which began on January 8 largely cut off that flow of information.
A tool repurposed
With most global websites blocked, social media unavailable and SMS messaging down, many people inside Iran have little or no access to the internet. Some can still make international phone calls, but the connections are unstable and expensive.
People outside Iran are mostly unable to call into the country at all.
As a result, families abroad have begun using the chatbot to send short personal messages, hoping their relatives inside the country will see them on the satellite broadcasts which are one of the few means of getting information from outside.
The network displays a QR code during live programs. Viewers outside Iran can scan it or use the Telegram handle @intlmedia_bot to submit messages, some of which are then shown on air.
Since the shutdown began, the chatbot has received more than 60,000 messages, according to the broadcaster.
How the system works
The network said it has long relied on staff to review and verify user-submitted material, but introduced automated tools to help manage the growing volume of messages.
Mahdi Tajik, an editorial lead at Iran International, said the system does not store personal data, an issue that many users worry about during periods of unrest.
Tajik said the idea of using the chatbot to relay family messages emerged after the internet shutdown cut off millions of Iranians abroad from their relatives.
“Within a day, hundreds of messages came in,” he said. “Many people were worried about their families. Many spoke about hope and about freedom being near.”
Some users inside Iran who managed to briefly connect to the internet told the network that seeing the messages had given them comfort, he added.
'My dear husband ...'
Many of the notes are addressed clearly to specific people, often including names, cities and family details.
“My dear husband, Shabnam and I are fine. I hope you are well in Behbahan,” one message read.
Another said: “Marjan from New Zealand ... I hope you are okay. I found no way to reach you. I hope you see this message.”
A third listed several names: “Hello to Parvin, Giti, Fereshteh, Farzaneh, Houshang, Mohsen, Alireza. I am worried about you all. I hope for our beloved Iran and to see you again. Mohammad, Canada.”
Another woman wrote: “Sister Leila, my beautiful Helia and Helena. I love you so much. I am very worried about you and miss you. Take care of yourselves and our whole family. Parinaz from San Diego.”
Editors say many of the notes come from people whose spouses, parents or children are inside Iran with no way to communicate.
The messages often focus on reassuring loved ones rather than grim news events.
Pressure on access
Satellite television remains one of the few ways information can still enter Iran. Authorities, however, have sought to limit access in some areas, including by seizing satellite dishes, according to people familiar with the situation.
At the same time, Iranians abroad have taken to the streets in cities across Europe, North America and Australia to show support for protesters at home, holding rallies and vigils and calling for international pressure on Tehran.
The messages sent through the chatbot do not allow two-way communication, and there is no guarantee they will be seen by their intended recipients.
Still, for families separated by borders and the internet shutdown, they offer one of the few remaining ways to penetrate the current digital iron curtain.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond with unprecedented force if Iran were to attack, as he addressed regional tensions during a parliamentary debate on Monday.
“If Iran makes a mistake and attacks us, we will act with a force that Iran has not yet experienced,” Netanyahu said.
“No one can predict what will happen in Iran, but whatever happens, Iran will not return to what it was,” he added.
Iran’s judiciary chief accused US President Donald Trump of responsibility for what he described as crimes linked to Iran’s nationwide protests, saying legal action would be pursued domestically and through international channels.
“The US president, the leaders of the accursed Zionist regime, and other supporters and providers of military and propaganda support to the criminals and terrorists involved in the recent events are among the offenders who, in accordance with the extent and scale of their crimes, will be pursued, tried and punished,” Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said in a post on X.
“We will not abandon the pursuit and prosecution of the perpetrators of the recent crimes in domestic courts and through international avenues,” he added.
