Iran killed 16,500 protesters, forced families to pay for the bullets used – report

Network of Iranian doctors says that at least 16,500 protesters have been killed and 330,000 wounded by pro-regime forces – most them during the first two days of the internet blackout.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

At least 16,500 Iranian protesters have been killed by pro-regime forces, according to a report drafted by a network of doctors in Iran, with roughly one-third of a million protesters wounded.

The report was obtained by The Times, which published the figures on Saturday. The information was collected by staff from eight major hospitals and 16 emergency departments across Iran.

Of the estimated 16,500 to 18,000 protesters killed and 330,000 to 360,000 wounded, the report said, the vast majority of casualties came from the first two days of protests after the regime cut internet service across the country on Thursday, January 8.

Massive protests were held across the country that day, with a report by Iran International which cited a European intelligence estimate putting the number of demonstrators in Tehran alone at over 1.5 million.

However, shortly after the internet blackout began Thursday evening, regime forces began using indiscriminate gunfire to break up the demonstrations, killing thousands.

According to the report drafted by Iranian doctors, the majority of the victims are under 30.

Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German eye surgeon in Munich, said the regime’s response to the ongoing protest movement has been far more brutal than previous crackdowns.

During the 2022 protests, Parasta said, regime forces used “rubber bullets and pellet guns taking out eyes. This time they are using military-grade weapons and what we are seeing are gunshot and shrapnel wounds in the head, neck, and chest.”

“I’ve spoken to dozens of doctors on the ground and they are really shocked and crying,” he continued. “These are surgeons who have seen war.”

While Iran’s government has shut down internet access and severely restricted cellphone use, dissident activists have smuggled some 50,000 to 60,000 Starlink terminals into the country, enabling them to connect with the outside world.

“Tell the whole world that on Friday they sprayed everyone with gunfire,” one person told The Times after fleeing Iran. “The IRGC forces were calmly trying to aim for people’s heads.”

Some witnesses said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed snipers on rooftops to shoot demonstrators in the head.

There are also reports of extensive use of indiscriminate shotgun blasts by pro-regime forces towards crowds of protesters, resulting in numerous facial and eye injuries.

According to the Times report, some 7,000 protesters have been treated for eye injuries at a single Tehran clinic.

The network responsible for the report estimated at least 700 to 1,000 people have lost an eye.

“There are so many shotgun-related eye injuries that we do not know whom to treat first,” an ophthalmologist said.

The regime has held the bodies of slain protesters, according to multiple reports, demanding that families pay as much as hundreds of millions of tomans, the equivalent of thousands of dollars, in so-called “bullet money,” in order to secure the return of their loved ones’ remains.

In other instances, Iran International reported, relatives were able to retrieve their slain relatives’ bodies in exchange for smaller sums, ranging from $480 to $1,720 per bullet.