Security forces in Iran deployed rifles and shotguns against demonstrators during widespread protests that erupted over economic hardship. An eyewitness, identified as Farhad, described seeing military personnel shoot at young people from about 100 metres away, targeting their backs as they ran. He witnessed a doctor struck in the face by shotgun pellets and two severely injured individuals carried away, possibly deceased. According to the AFP report, the crackdown intensified on the second day of protests in a city near Tehran, with forces realising that demonstrators would not disperse without gunfire.

The protests, which began late in the previous year, marked the largest anti-government demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under an internet blackout starting 8 January, security forces operated amid limited external visibility. Farhad recounted people dying in their cars from stray bullets and others beaten with batons, including himself. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused authorities of aiming metal pellets at protesters' heads and torsos.

Background and Ongoing Risks

The unrest swept through cities, drawing diverse participants including women, girls, and young children chanting against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Farhad noted that every family felt the impact, with communities opening homes to provide first aid and shelter to around 50 demonstrators at a time. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights verified 3,428 protester deaths by security forces, though it suggested the actual number could range between 5,000 and 20,000.

Injured individuals avoided hospitals due to fears of detention and interrogation by authorities present there. Instead, doctors visited homes for treatment, as going to medical facilities proved "too dangerous," according to Farhad. Security checks involved inspecting phones for protest-related content and lifting shirts to check for injuries, leading to arrests. Despite the repression, Farhad expressed that public anger persisted, fueling readiness for further protests against the regime.

"The system cannot survive – in Iran everybody is just overwhelmed with this dictatorship. We have had enough of them," he told AFP.