Verified videos emerging from Iran show bodies piled inside hospitals, snipers positioned on rooftops and surveillance cameras being destroyed, revealing the scale of a deadly crackdown on protests earlier this month.
There have been reports about tracking demonstrations since they erupted in late December, but near-total internet blackouts imposed by Iranian authorities have severely limited independent reporting on the violence. Despite these restrictions, newly verified footage provides a rare glimpse into the state’s response.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has confirmed nearly 6,000 deaths since the unrest began, including 5,633 protesters. The group is also investigating around 17,000 additional reported deaths received during almost three weeks of internet shutdowns. Another organisation, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), has warned the final death toll could exceed 25,000.
Iranian authorities have disputed those figures, saying more than 3,100 people were killed, most of whom they claim were security personnel or bystanders attacked by what they describe as “rioters.”
The latest verified videos are believed to have been filmed on 8 and 9 January, following a nationwide call for protests by Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former Shah. Those two days are thought to represent the deadliest period so far.
Footage analysed showed bodies stacked inside a mortuary at Tehranpars hospital in east Tehran. The location was confirmed by matching the interior with publicly available images, and at least 31 bodies were counted in a single video. Another clip shows seven body bags laid outside the hospital entrance.
Elsewhere in Tehran, videos show hundreds of protesters gathered on a highway before repeated gunfire erupts, prompting screams and chaos as people flee.
Other footage shows protesters attempting to disable Iran’s extensive surveillance network. In one verified clip, a man climbs a pole in the capital and repeatedly strikes a CCTV camera while a large crowd cheers below.
Protests were tracked across at least 71 towns and cities, though the true number is likely far higher. In the south-eastern city of Kerman, a video filmed from an elevated position shows armed men in military uniforms firing their weapons while protesters chant nearby.
Snipers have also been spotted on rooftops. In the north-eastern city of Mashhad, verified daytime footage shows two men dressed in black on top of a building, one standing beside a rifle while speaking on the phone, the other crouching nearby.
Since 8 January, most Iranians have been cut off from the internet, though some have managed limited access using tools such as VPNs and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service. More videos are expected to surface in the coming days as connectivity intermittently returns and the economic impact of the blackout deepens.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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