Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
RFL/RE – The Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) says that a harsh crackdown on demonstrations in Iran has intensified significantly and that reports “indicate widespread killing of protesters in different parts of the country, particularly in Tehran.”
According to the Norway-based rights monitor, the deaths of at least 192 protesters have been confirmed since the start of the protests, nine of whom were under the age of 18.
At the same time, the organization warned that there are unverified reports indicating the deaths of at least several hundred people. According to estimates by some sources, the death toll could be more than 2,000, it added.
Due to a complete Internet blackout in Iran and severe restrictions on access to information, IHRNGO stressed that independently verifying these reports “remains a serious challenge.”
The organization also expressed grave concern over threats by officials of the Islamic republic’s judiciary to issue death sentences against protesters on charges of “moharebeh” (waging war against God), and called for an immediate response from the international community to prevent the continuation of the killings and the risk of mass executions of detainees.
“Threats by Iranian authorities to sentence protesters to death on charges such as moharebeh must be taken extremely seriously,” IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said. “Those who are in power today are the same individuals who, in the 1980s, committed crimes against humanity by executing thousands of political prisoners without trial. The risk of a repetition of those crimes is entirely real.”
Meanwhile, the Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed on January 11 that a “considerable” number of security and law enforcement personnel have been killed in clashes with protesters over the past few nights. Citing an “informed source,” the agency said actions against security forces had resulted in the “martyrdom” of many personnel, and a significant number of police officers had also been injured.
In its latest assessment of the situation in Iran, HRANA, a rights-focused Iranian news agency, reported that 37 of those killed in the clashes were members of military or security forces, and that one prosecutor was also killed.
Currently, only a handful of state-affiliated news agencies have access to the Internet and are publishing exclusively the narratives of security and law enforcement bodies. The Islamic republic has now cut off nationwide Internet access for more than 60 hours as widespread anti-government protests continue for the 15th straight day.
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Footage of a protester pulling down the national flag from the Iranian Embassy yesterday has been doing the rounds on social media.
The footage appears to show a man climbing the balcony of the embassy in central London and replacing the flag with the pre-Islamic revolution flag, featuring a lion and sun, which is frequently used by Iranian opposition groups.
The Iranian Embassy later posted a picture on its X account, showing a flag at the embassy and the words “Iran’s flag is flying high.”
The Guardian reported that an estimated 500-1,000 people attended the protest in Kensington on January 10, and that two arrests were made.
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‘Given Orders To Do Whatever They Want’: Tehran Man Describes ‘War Scenes’ Amid Crackdown
A man who witnessed a crackdown on protests in eastern Tehran told Radio Farda late on January 10 that the repression of demonstrations has intensified.
He said that with the large-scale deployment of Revolutionary Guards, Basij militia forces, and riot police units, the possibility of forming gatherings has effectively disappeared and the city has taken on a heavily securitized atmosphere.
According to him, the continuous sound of pellet-gun fire has been heard across the Iranian capital in recent nights, while drones have been flying constantly over neighborhoods to monitor streets and alleyways.
The man, whose name is not being published for safety reasons, added that the level of violence has increased sharply and that the complete Internet shutdown has created the sense that authorities have been “given orders to do whatever they want.”
He claimed the violence was initiated by security forces and that protesters were not the instigators of clashes.
He also stressed that the streets have become completely unsafe, recounting that while returning home he was suddenly confronted at very close range by several motorcyclists armed with shotguns and felt he could be shot at any moment.
He added that indiscriminate gunfire continues at night, and said security forces seemed to be treating the presence of any individual on the streets late in the evening as grounds for being targeted.
The man said that — after clearing the main thoroughfares — security forces have moved into residential neighborhoods and fired tear gas into alleyways and even toward homes wherever chanting is heard.
He said the presence of plainclothes Basij forces and armed motorcyclists has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, and that by around 10:30 p.m. on January 10, the streets were almost completely deserted.
He described the situation in the city as resembling “war scenes,” citing the presence of spent shell casings, shattered glass, and the lingering smell of burning tires and tear gas throughout the city.
The man also said shops have been closing earlier than usual, very long bread lines have formed, and shortages of some essential goods, including cooking oil, have been reported. He added that concerns about insecurity, attacks, or looting have led some shopkeepers to stay overnight in their stores.
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The UN’s independent fact-finding mission in Iran has issued a statement calling on the country’s leadership to restore Internet connectivity and “to immediately desist from any unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force.” It said the “current crackdown mirrors patterns previously documented,” including “gross human rights violations, and a systemic lack of accountability.”
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‘Being Away From Home Under These Conditions Has Made Life Feel Impossible’
With Iran currently experiencing a days-long digital blackout, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda has been in touch with Iranians outside the country who can’t reach their families because of the shutdown back home. For safety reasons, some of those who responded asked to remain anonymous, while others requested that only their first names be used.
