As the information blackout in Iran persists, a grim picture is emerging from the few reports slipping through the regime’s digital blackout. Heavy weaponry, typically reserved for war zones, has been turned against the citizenry, with heartbreaking accounts of families torn apart by state-sponsored violence now coming to light.
Basij paramilitary volunteer militia forces and IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) operatives have flooded city centers, creating scenes that look eerily familiar to many Israelis from the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023: Hundreds of gunmen wielding machine guns have been seen on pickup trucks and armored vehicles across the country.
Social media users who managed to bypass the blackout reported that armored vehicles had taken up positions near public institutions in Tehran and Mashhad. Meanwhile, the mayor of Tehran said that at least 16 mosques in the capital were torched and damaged during the popular uprising. Human rights organizations have reported continued arrests of citizens who participated in protests or publicly criticized the regime. In the city of Fuladshahr, the Basij arrested three members of a single family, taking them to an undisclosed location.
In Sanandaj, the Revolutionary Guards arrested Kia Moradi, a young woman, after she participated in a protest organized by the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. Moradi is 18 years old, and her family fears for her life following her transfer to an unknown facility.
Tragedy struck another family in Karaj, west of Tehran, where three members were killed when their car came under fire from security forces during demonstrations on Jan. 9, Iran International reported. The victims were identified as Bijan Mostafavi, a retired education professional, his wife, Zahra Bani Amerian, a retired social security employee, and their 19-year-old son, Daniel Mostafavi, a university student, according to a source close to the family.
According to information obtained by Iran International, the family was traveling in their private vehicle when it was struck by heavy gunfire amid the unrest. The couple’s eldest son, Davoud Mostafavi, was also in the car at the time, though his condition remained unknown.
Harrowing testimonies continue to emerge regarding the massacre the Islamic regime has perpetrated against demonstrators over the past week. A protester identified only as Reza told BBC Persian that he witnessed his wife being shot and killed by Basij members.
“I held her hand to protect her, and suddenly I felt her go light and limp,” the grief-stricken husband said. The couple had gone out to demonstrate and were fleeing into a parking lot when snipers opened fire. “Someone living nearby helped me evacuate her to a safer place. I stayed by her side for an hour and a half before I was forced to flee. All I have left is her jacket,” he said.
A surgeon who treated gunshot victims told Iranwire: “I have worked as a doctor in various hospitals since the Green Revolution [the political movement demanding the removal of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] of 2009. I have never seen a disaster of this magnitude, not even during the devastating earthquakes in Bam or Kermanshah. We heard sounds of gunfire, rapid explosions, and even heavy machine guns. We used to see this only in movies, never in reality.”
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
