Protests in Iran have led to bloodshed, resulting in 12,000 to 20,000 deaths.

Iran’s Deadly Crackdown: A Nation Under Fire — Tens of Thousands May Be Killed as Security Forces Shoot Protesters in the Head and Neck

The Mullah Regime in Iran is presiding over what may become one of the deadliest mass killings of civilians in its modern history. Since nationwide protests erupted on 28 December 2025, an unprecedented and brutal crackdown by state security forces has unfolded across cities and towns, from Tehran to Mashhad, from Karaj to Kermanshah. Reports from human rights organizations, cross-checked testimonies from eyewitnesses, and investigative media suggest that the death toll could range from at least 12,000 to 20,000 protesters and civilians killed — though the true figure remains obscured by an ongoing government communications blackout and censorship.

The protests began as a reaction to a deepening economic crisis — soaring inflation, currency collapse, and chronic deprivation of basic services — but have rapidly transformed into widespread public dissent against the theocratic rule of the Islamic Republic. Millions took to the streets, voicing demands for political reform, accountability, and dignity. What they were met with has been described by observers as state-sanctioned massacre.

Shooting to Kill: Testimonies From the Ground

Despite severe internet restrictions imposed by the Iranian authorities, a disturbing body of testimony has emerged describing how security forces used live ammunition deliberately and directly against unarmed demonstrators. Videos and eyewitness accounts detail instances of gunfire echoing through urban streets, followed by the cries of the wounded. People fleeing into alleys, into storefronts, into hospitals, were still not safe.

Human rights monitors have documented multiple reports of protesters being shot in the head and neck at close range, indicating not just indiscriminate use of force but intentional targeting of critical body regions. Hospitals in Tehran, Shiraz, and other major cities reported being overwhelmed with patients suffering from severe gunshot wounds. Medical staff, who continue to share accounts through clandestine channels, described scenes of chaos, bodies piling up, and operating theaters working around the clock.

One verified instance reported by international media documented a 23-year-old student, Rubina Aminian, who was shot in the head at close range while peacefully protesting in Tehran. Her family recounted that authorities blocked her burial and pressured them under surveillance, a stark reminder of how the regime deals with both the dead and the grieving.

Hospitals Under Siege

Doctors inside the country reported a deeply alarming development: security forces not only shot wounded civilians outside, but stormed hospitals, hunting injured protesters and executing them inside medical facilities. This grotesque violation of both human dignity and international law — firing inside a hospital and targeting patients — has been corroborated by multiple witnesses and recorded in leaked video clips that circulated briefly before being censored.

The health system, already strained by sanctions and resource shortages, now faces further collapse under the weight of such violence. Medical personnel have had to make heartbreaking decisions about who can be treated and who cannot, as supplies run low and security forces intimidate and restrict access.

The Death Toll: Conflicting Figures but a Clear Pattern of Violence

Because of the Iranian government’s blackout on internet and telephone communications, reliable casualty figures are nearly impossible to verify independently.

Multiple human rights monitoring groups, activist networks, and investigative projects have provided dramatically estimates of killed protestor. One major independent outlet, Iran International, published a detailed assessment suggesting that at least 20,000 people were killed, based on sources within government institutions, eyewitness accounts, hospital data, and field reports.

Regardless of precise numbers, the evidence paints a grim picture of systematic lethal force rather than sporadic clashes.

List of Victims of the 2026 (1404) Nationwide Protests

Ahad Ebrahim-pour Abdoli, Ahmad Jalil, Ahmadreza Amani, Sajjad Valamanesh, Amir-Hesam Khodayari, Amir-Hossein Bayati, Hossein Rabiee, Khodadad Shirvani, Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, Reza Azim-zadeh, Shayan Asadollahi, Ali Azizi Jafar-abadi, Vahab Ghaedi (Mousavi), Mansour Mokhtari, Mehdi Emami-pour.

Mostafa Fallahi, Soroush Soleimani, Mohammad Moghadasi, Reza Kadivarian, Rasoul Kadivarian, Reza Ghanbari, Bahman Fattahi, Abolfazl Khaledi, Alireza Khaledi, Mohammad Mousavi, Mehdi Mousavi, Mohammad-Ghasem Rousta, Erfan Bozorgi, Mobin Yaghoub-zadeh, Milad Gholamzadeh.

Latif Karimi, Mohammadreza Karami, Ali Karimi Bavolki, Taha Safari, Reza Moradi Abdolvand, Amir-Mohammad Kouhkan, Mohammad Nouri, Alireza Seydi, Ebrahim Ahmadpourian, Masoud Zat-parvar, Mehdi Salahshour, Behrouz Safaei, Saman Nazari, Ebrahim Yousefi, Keyvan Rezaei.

Rubina Aminian, Mehdi Ghorbandoust, Hossein Mounesi, Rouhollah Setareh Moshtari, Akram Pirgazi, Farhad Eyvazi Dodaraei, Gol-Mohammad Jalil Abzar, Masih Jalil Piran, Seyyed Mehdi Movahedi, Mehdi Vali-doust, Morteza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammadreza Gorouhi, Ali Goforoush, Reza Rahmati.

Omid Abouei, Holaku Ivani, Zahra Bohlouli-pour, Diyar Pour-chehrigh, Mohammad Jafari, Nazli Jan-parvar, Arisha Hozouri, Aida Heydari, Amir-Ali Heydari, Mansoureh Heydari, Ali Dehghan, Siamak Rashed, Bahram Zahedi, Mohammad Zamani, Bayat Sobhani.

Borhan Seyyedi, Saeed Shirali, Hossein Shirkoul, Navid Salehi, Amir-Ali Zaheri, Erfan Faraji, Elias Farkhari, Sajjad Feyzi, Mobin Fili, Mojtaba Ghorbani, Javad Ganji, Behrouz Mansouri, Ribin Moradi, Khaled Mollaei, Ako Mohammadi.

Mohammad Mohammadlou, Mahmoud Mousavi, Younes Momeni, Salam Mirani, Majid Vaezi, Saeed Ebrahimi, Reza Ahmadi, Sina Ashkbus, Abolfazl Bakhtiar Douraki, Zahra Bani-Amerian, Mojtaba Tarshiz, Reza Haji Moradian, Mehdi Delkhosh, Ardeshir Zarei, Amir Shakouri.

Siavash Shirzad, Mohammad Seydi, Ali Sedighi, Erfan Alizadeh, Amin Ghobadi, Negin Ghadimi, Mohammadreza Golmakani, Sourena Golgoun, Mehdi Lavasani, Golaleh Mahmoudi, Zahra Moradi, Bijan Mostafavi, Danial Mostafavi, Ajmin Masihi, Shahram Maghsoudi.

Behzad Shafiei, Ali Janani, Mahan Ghadami, Sahba Rashtian, Khani Asadi, Farzin Rahimi Douraki, Mohsen Asadi, Navid Alam-chehreh, Farzin Poust-ashkan Douraki, Ebrahim Ghayoumi, Nazli Jahan-parvar, Pouya Rostami, Ali Molla-aghaei Rouzbehani, Ariana Arjamandi.

This list is being updated continuously…

Eyewitness and Survivor Stories: Human Faces of the Tragedy

“We were marching peacefully, chanting for justice,” one protester told a trusted contact before the blackout, describing how security vehicles suddenly blocked the road and opened fire. “I saw people fall beside me with blood pouring from their heads.” Such testimonies, while unable to be independently verified due to communications suppression, are consistent across dozens of accounts that have trickled out.

Another survivor recounted the horror of seeking refuge in a clinic only to have soldiers break in, shooting patients and dragging some out. She later escaped and described corridors stained with blood and wounded people screaming for help. These stories illustrate not isolated events, but patterns of violence reinforced by multiple sources.

International Law and Human Rights Implications

The United Nations and independent human rights experts have condemned the use of lethal force against largely peaceful protesters. UN special rapporteurs have emphasized that shooting at unarmed civilians, targeting medical facilities, and arbitrary executions constitute serious violations of international human rights law and may amount to crimes against humanity.

The regime’s communication blackout, intended to conceal the scale of bloodshed, also violates basic rights to information and freedom of expression. Many observers warn that without urgent international intervention, further atrocities will occur unchecked.

Call to Action: Voices of Solidarity and Responsibility

The human rights community must respond with coordinated and urgent pressure:

1. Document and verify every case of killing, injury, and enforced disappearance.
2. Support independent investigations by UN mechanisms to establish accountability.
3. Implement targeted international sanctions against individuals and institutions responsible for authorizing lethal force.
4. Protect access to communication channels for Iranian citizens to share information.
5. Mobilize diplomatic pressure to ensure safe passage for medical aid, observers, and journalists.

The world cannot — and must not — allow a massacre of this scale to be obscured by censorship and political calculus.