“`html
Iran Protests: Doctors Report Widespread Violence and Internet Blackout
Table of Contents
amidst an unprecedented crackdown, harrowing accounts are emerging from inside Iran detailing the brutal reality of protests against the current regime. Reports indicate widespread injuries and deaths, coupled with a near-total internet shutdown aimed at stifling dissent and controlling information.
Families are desperately searching for loved ones among bodies placed in body bags outside the Kahrizak forensic center in the suburbs of Tehran, as of January 13, 2026, a grim testament to the escalating violence.
Emergency Rooms Overwhelmed with Trauma
The scale of the violence became shockingly clear in a voice message sent by an on-call doctor in northern Iran on January 15.The message, relayed to his family group during a brief window of internet access, painted a disturbing picture of conditions inside the country’s hospitals.”We were all walking around the emergency room in boots on the night of January 8, as there was so much blood on the floor,” the doctor recounted.
This date,January 8,marks the beginning of the first major wave of protests against the Iranian regime.since then, the vast majority of Iranian citizens have been cut off from the internet, a purposeful tactic to suppress the movement and limit the flow of information to the outside world. The internet blackout has severely hampered communication and verification of events on the ground.
Graphic Injuries and a Rising Death Toll
The doctor’s account details the horrific injuries sustained by protesters. “We were forbidden from having phones inside the facility,” he stated, highlighting the restrictions placed on medical personnel.”That night in our hospital, which is a small facility, we counted seven lifeless bodies. There was a 16-year-old boy who had been shot,and we had to remove a kidney. For another patient, we were forced to amputate a leg below the knee.” The emotional toll on medical staff is evident, with the doctor adding, “I have tears in my eyes as I tell you this.”
A subsequent message, sent on January 20, revealed an even broader scope of casualties.”On the night of January 8, we all slept at the hospital,” the doctor told The World via a messaging service. “We treated around a hundred injured people.” He alleges that law enforcement officers were intentionally targeting protesters with lethal force. “They were shooting to kill: in the neck, in the head, in the abdomen.”
The doctor collaborated with colleagues at other hospitals in the city, revealing a combined death toll of 17 on the first night of the protests alone. He also reported the unusual case of a Basiji – a member of the religious militia – being brought into his hospital with severe facial injuries, likely inflicted with blunt force trauma. The basiji member was quickly transferred to a facility reserved for members of the Revolutionary Guards.
A System Under Strain
The reports underscore the immense pressure on Iran’s healthcare system. The sheer volume of casualties, coupled with the restrictions on communication and the targeting of both protesters and, seemingly, regime supporters, paints a picture of a country spiraling into crisis. The deliberate disruption of internet access is not only a violation of human rights but also hinders the ability of medical professionals to coordinate care and access vital information.
The article is 84.97% unread, suggesting a significant demand for information regarding the unfolding situation in Iran. The continued suppression of information makes independent verification challenging, but the accounts emerging from within the country offer a
