Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total communications blackout as mass protests continue across the country, amid growing evidence of what observers describe as one of the deadliest crackdowns on unrest in more than a decade.
Videos and eyewitness accounts that have slowly emerged despite the restrictions suggest that security forces have opened fire on unarmed demonstrators, at times apparently using automatic weapons. Medical staff told international media that hospitals, which had previously treated protesters for pellet injuries, are now receiving patients with gunshot wounds and skull fractures.
One doctor described the situation as a “mass-casualty situation”.
Images circulating online show rows of body bags, a recurring symbol of the violence. In footage shared by opposition activists on social media, families are seen grieving over bloodied bodies laid out in unzipped bags. Iranian state television has also aired images from a morgue, showing body bags arranged on the floor beneath fluorescent lighting.
A reporter for the state broadcaster said the images illustrated the dangers posed by the protests, claiming that some demonstrators were dragging “ordinary people — people who have nothing to do with these events — and their families into this situation”.
“I have never seen images like these in my life before,” the reporter said in the voiceover.
Both supporters of Iran’s theocratic leadership and protesters calling for its removal say the level of violence is unprecedented.
